Deadly Flu Virus Mistakenly Sent To Thousands Of Labs

An influenza virus estimated to have caused the deaths of more than 1 million people in 1957 was mistakenly sent to thousands of laboratories around the world during the past few months. Scientists, health organizations and governments are now attempting to have the killer virus destroyed before any of it is released. The Associated Press reports that almost 5,000 labs in 18 countries, but mostly in the United States, received the virus, known as the H2N2 "Asian flu," in quality-control test kits sent by Meridian Bioscience Inc. of Cincinnati. According to the wire service, the company manufactures influenza test kits for medical facilities. The problem first surfaced, according to the World Health Organization, when a Canadian testing lab detected the deadly virus. Canadian health officials notified WHO authorities on April 8.