CDC taking inventory of nation's poliovirus stocks

ATLANTA - The federal government is taking a nationwide inventory of wild poliovirus stocks in an effort to prevent lab outbreaks after polio is eradicated. <br> <br> Each of the 31,000 institutions across the country that have poliovirus stocks are required to submit a report to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by Tuesday. <br> <br> Those institutions include health departments, hospitals and private companies. <br> <br> Federal officials have said polio could be eradicated from the world within two years. <br> <br> Officials say the inventory will help reduce the risk that the virus could be accidentally transmitted from a lab after eradication. <br> <br> Slightly more than half have already submitted reports. <br> <br> Association of Public Health Laboratories Executive Director Scott Becker says the delay in reporting poliovirus stocks may be caused because they&#39;ve been busy with West Nile virus. <br> <br> Polio can cause paralysis and death. <br> <br> It is not thought to be as dangerous as smallpox as a bioterrorist weapon because fewer than 1 percent of those infected with polio develop symptoms.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/12/201723