The smallpox virus now exists only in two laboratories, one in the United States and the other in Russia. Beginning shortly after the eradication of smallpox, the World Health Organization set a number of deadlines for the destruction of these stores, but neither country complied. In a 2011 discussion of the matter, the United States argued for more time with the virus so that a better vaccine could be developed, just to be safe. Smallpox has now ceased to be a disease and is only a potential weapon.
