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Advantages
- More research is needed to develop better vaccines, to protect us from bioterrorism.
- Should an outbreak occur which is the same or similar to small pox the current sample will could help to cure it.
- WHO asked to nations to destroy their samples or send them to two laboratories (USA and Russia) and we presume that every nation did this however we have no proof and if undisclosed or forgotten stocks are still around we must be ready and prepared to beat it again.
- Further study could reveal a huge amount.
- "It is better to have a number of arrows in the quiver than to destroy the stock and cross our collective fingers." Nature 398, 733; 1999.
- If the virus was relesed then keeping it could help discover a cure for people who are already infected thus saving more lives.
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Disadvantages
- Dramatically increases the risk of accidental or purposeful release into the population.
- Routine vaccination ended 35 years ago, which would make an outbreak today devastating.
- 50 strains have been sequenced so the virus isn't needed, it can be created from scratch.
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