World Health Assembly to take a call on two remaining specimens in upcoming meet even as some scientists urge against their destruction; two persons in the US infected with smallpox-like virus The debate over whether to destroy the two last specimens of smallpox (variola) virus has taken a new turn. Just before the World Health Assembly gathers in Geneva from May 19 to take a call on the two specimens kept in the United States of America and Russia, a review article in a scientific journal makes a case for retaining them. The US and Russia have been delaying the destruction of the virus despite the World Health Organization (WHO) saying that keeping the virus is of no use and it should be destroyed. Strategic experts always see this as the two countries’ unwillingness from national security perspective. There is also growing concern that the viruses could be used as biological weapon.

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