Smallpox was a devastating disease that decimated human populations for centuries, and its eradication in 1980 was a monumental achievement for the global health community. Since then the remaining known strains of its causative agent, variola virus, have been contained in two World Health Organization (WHO)-approved repositories.
In 1999, the World Health Assembly (WHA) debated the issue of destroying these remaining strains. Arguments were presented on the need to retain the live virus for use in additional important research, and the decision to destroy the virus was deferred until this research could be completed. In that same year, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) convened a consensus committee to explore scientific needs for the live virus.
In the ten years since the first IOM report, the scientific, political, and regulatory environments have changed. In this new climate, the IOM was once again tasked to consider scientific needs for live variola virus. The committee evaluated the scientific need for live variola virus in four areas: development of therapeutics, development of vaccines, genomic analysis, and discovery research.
Institute of Medicine. 2009. Live Variola Virus: Considerations for Continuing Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/12616.
Chapters | skim | |
---|---|---|
Front Matter | i-xviii | |
Summary | 1-8 | |
1 Introduction | 9-18 | |
2 Overview of Smallpox and Its Surveillance and Control | 19-26 | |
3 Comparative Poxvirology | 27-48 | |
4 Animal Models Using Variola and Other Orthopoxviruses | 49-58 | |
5 Genomic Analysis | 59-66 | |
6 Development of Therapeutics | 67-86 | |
7 Development of Vaccines | 87-110 | |
8 Methods for Detection and Diagnosis | 111-122 | |
9 Discovery Research | 123-130 | |
10 Conclusions and Recommendations | 131-138 | |
Appendix: Variola Strains Used to Validate Diagnostic and Detection Assays | 139-152 |
The Chapter Skim search tool presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter. You may select key terms to highlight them within pages of each chapter.
The National Academies Press (NAP) has partnered with Copyright Clearance Center's Marketplace service to offer you a variety of options for reusing NAP content. Through Marketplace, you may request permission to reprint NAP content in another publication, course pack, secure website, or other media. Marketplace allows you to instantly obtain permission, pay related fees, and print a license directly from the NAP website. The complete terms and conditions of your reuse license can be found in the license agreement that will be made available to you during the online order process. To request permission through Marketplace you are required to create an account by filling out a simple online form. The following list describes license reuses offered by the NAP through Marketplace:
Click here to obtain permission for the above reuses. If you have questions or comments concerning the Marketplace service, please contact:
Marketplace Support
International +1.978.646.2600
US Toll Free +1.855.239.3415
E-mail: support@copyright.com
marketplace.copyright.com
To request permission to distribute a PDF, please contact our Customer Service Department at customer_service@nap.edu.