Queensland Health has been directed to conduct a Part 9 Investigation into a major breach at the state’s Virology Laboratory, after it was revealed that several infectious virus samples stored at the lab had gone missing in 2021 and remain unaccounted for.
The laboratory provides statewide specialist diagnostic services, surveillance and research for viruses as well as mosquito- and tick-borne pathogens of medical importance. Now, it has been found that dozens of samples of Hendra virus, lyssavirus and hantavirus went missing from the lab in 2021, with their loss only discovered in August 2023.
State Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicholls said the public have a right to know about the incident and that it is critical such a major breach of biosecurity protocols is not repeated, which is why a Part 9 Investigation is necessary. The Hon Martin Daubney AM KC, retired Supreme Court Justice, has been appointed to lead the investigation, while Julian Druce, previous head of the Virus Identification Lab at the Victorian Infectious Disease Reference Laboratory, will serve as co-investigator.
“With such a serious breach of biosecurity protocols and infectious virus samples potentially missing, Queensland Health must investigate what occurred and how to prevent it from happening again,” Nicholls said.
“The Part 9 Investigation will ensure nothing has been overlooked in responding to this incident and examine the current policies and procedures in operation today at the laboratory.”
Nicholls added that the investigation will consider regulatory compliance and staff conduct, bearing in mind that Queensland Health “has taken proactive measures since discovering the breaches, including retraining staff to ensure ongoing compliance with required regulations and an audit of all relevant permits to ensure accountability and correct storage of materials”.
While the laboratory has not been able to determine if the materials in question were removed from secure storage or destroyed, Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard emphasised that there was no evidence of risk to the community from this historical breach.
“It’s important to note that virus samples would degrade very rapidly outside a low-temperature freezer and become non-infectious,” Gerrard said.
“It’s most likely that the samples were destroyed by autoclaving, as is routine laboratory practice, and not adequately recorded.
“It’s very unlikely that samples were discarded in general waste, as this would be completely outside routine laboratory practice.
“Importantly, no Hendra or lyssavirus cases have been detected among humans in Queensland over the past five years, and there have been no reports of Hantavirus infections in humans ever in Australia.”
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