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'Extinct' simply means there are no reported cases of a disease (or sightings of an animal or plant or bacteria, etc) known for a given amount of time -- it does not mean the 'thing' in question is permanently or irretrievably gone. The CDC (Center for Disease Control) has arbitrarily set 25 years as the line for declaring a disease extinct. Since there has been no case of smallpox, worldwide, reported in the past 25+ years, it has been declared eradicated (i.e. extinct). However, that said, the small pox virus does still exists in quarantine, in an undisclosed lab someplace in the world. This is necessary for scientific research into combating potential future outbreaks of smallpox (despite their unlikely occurrences) or smallpox-like diseases. Furthermore, with recent advances in genetic engineering, the possibility of someone, one day very soon, having the ability to engineer and sequence the smallpox genome again (or something similar) from common lifeless chemical sources will inevitably make the return of smallpox to humanity possible, despite it being declared extinct right now.

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14y ago
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12y ago

Because the last case of smallpox in the world was during the year of 1977

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14y ago

it has not been destroyed so that we can use it for vaccinations for immunity to it.

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14y ago

Because it is being used to find a better cure for it to make sure it never ever comes back again

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12y ago

Smallpox is no longer a killer disease because people has lost there life and they where people dieing

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13y ago

In order of vaccines to be made, just in case another epidemic occurs.

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Q: Why has the smallpox virus not been destroyed?
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Related questions

Is smallpox virus or bacteria?

Smallpox was a virus.


What type of smallpox immunization was used in 1940?

Immunization against smallpox has, for centuries, been infection with live vaccinia virus.


Identify the potentail bilogical warfare agent that is a virus?

Smallpox smallpox smallpox


What type of virus is smallpox?

variola virus


Has smallpox been wiped out?

Globally across the world, yes. Although, there could still be smallpox virus but frozen somewhere across the world.


What is smallpox created by?

A virus.


Is smallpox a DNA virus or an RNA virus?

Smallpox contains DNASmallpox is a virus, and therefore, can only have RNA or DNA. In the case of smallpox, it contains DNA. Viruses require a host to supply them with either RNA or DNA in order that more virus entities can be made.DNA


What microbe causes smallpox?

Smallpox is caused by the variola major virus


What is pathogen of smallpox?

Smallpox is caused by a virus. The technical name for it is variola.


Where does smallpox still exist?

Smallpox has been eradicated through the effective Intensified Smallpox Eradication Programme, initiated by the World Health Organization. On 26 July 1978, WHO announced the eradication of the smallpox strain Variola Minor. The more deadly strain, Variola Major, had been eradicated several years earlier, in 1975. There remains a stockpile of the virus in storage in 600 frozen vials in Atlanta and Russia. This has been deemed necessary, in case further vaccines are required in the future. This stockpile was supposed to be destroyed on 31 December 1993, but on 23 December 1993, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia reversed their decision, announcing that the remaining virus stockpile would not be destroyed, so as to enable scientists to continue studying the disease.


What virus was first vaccinated for?

smallpox was the first virus that was vaccinated for


What is the alias of the virus variola?

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