In an unexpected and perhaps unprecedented turn of events, the executive board of the World Health Organization (WHO) last month delayed the destruction of all smallpox viral stocks for at least another year. After years of debate, the deadly virus was slated to have been destroyed on June 30 by recommendation of WHO's executive committee (K.Y. Kreeger, The Scientist, Nov. 14, 1994). A New York Times report (L.K. Altman, Jan. 19, 1995, page A15) attributed the about-face to "a growing sentiment that further research on the virus could be beneficial in studying other infections and possibly even cancer." The board's decision was helped along, according to the Times, by the "behind-the-scenes" efforts of unnamed British scientists. In the article, Valery Abramov, a WHO spokesperson, said he could not recall another instance when the executive board did not support the recommendations of its executive committee.
Board chairs must be ...
