Yeah, Right, Whatever

Labs are sent samples of various viruses in order to test their proficiency. No problem there, right? Well, no... unless they're sent samples of a pandemic-worthy flu virus.

Thousands of scientists were scrambling Tuesday at the urging of global health authorities to destroy vials of a pandemic flu strain sent to labs in 18 countries as part of routine testing.

The rush, urged by the World Health Organization, was sparked by a slim, but real, risk that the samples, could spark a global flu epidemic. The vials of virus sent by a U.S. company went to nearly 5,000 labs, mostly in the United States, officials said.

Viruses are rated on the level of safety precautions necessary to deal with them. For example, standard issue flu is a 1 or a 2... Ebola is a 4. This particular flu strain (which killed millioins of people in 1957) is rated 2 in the US, but will probably be raised to a 3 because so few people have resistance to it. How did this company get its mitts on a virus that has killed millions? Some viruses need to be locked away under armed guard somewhere, not stuck in a deep freeze where it can be mistaken for generic Influenza B. That sounds almost as bad as a vial of small pox being mistaken for a vial of chicken pox. Or confusing Ebola Reston with Ebola Zaire or Marburg.

It's the little things that matter, especially when you're dealing with little deadly things.