2 scientists charged with bringing deactivated mpox virus into the US and lying to authorities

DETROIT (AP) — Two scientists working at a U.S. government laboratory have been charged with smuggling decommissioned vials mpox virus A man was brought into the country from Africa and lied about it during interviews with investigators at a Michigan airport, authorities said Tuesday.

Criminal charges were filed in federal court in Detroit against Vincent Munster, chief of virus ecology at Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana, and Claude Kwe, who worked with him.

Munster and Kwe were stopped at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in January after leaving Paris and a nine-day stay in the Republic of Congo. An outbreak of mpox disease in Congo, a large region in central Africa, has been linked to more than 2,000 deaths, but a two-year epidemic declare an end In April.

The FBI said in a court filing that Munster “absolutely denied” returning to the United States with biological materials or samples.

But later tests revealed that Munster and Kwe had been traveling with bottles of deactivated mpox, although the FBI said they failed to declare this or obtain the necessary authorization.

“Any intentional effort to conceal and smuggle biological materials into the United States without appropriate authorization is a violation of the public trust and may put the public at risk,” said Marcus Sykes of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.

Munster and Kwe did not immediately respond to requests for comment. They are expected to appear in federal court in Missoula, Montana, on Wednesday.

“This matter is currently under investigation and NIH is cooperating fully with law enforcement and appropriate authorities,” said the National Institutes of Health, which oversees the laboratory. “As this is an ongoing investigation and personnel matter, there is limited additional information we can provide at this time.”

There was no mention in the government’s court filing of why Munster and Kwe might want to bring the inactivated mpox virus to their lab. But the FBI said these were virologists working extensively on mpox research.

Munster told investigators at the Detroit-area airport that he had all the necessary documents on his laptop, “but you don’t need them. I do this all the time,” the FBI said.

“It is reasonable to believe that Munster’s statements regarding the release of required documents (to customs officials) are materially false,” the FBI said.

The most common symptoms of mpox are rash and fever, according to the World Health Organization, but it can sometimes cause serious illness. Most people recover completely.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, was first identified by scientists in 1958 during the outbreak of a “pox-like” disease in monkeys. Until a few years ago, most human cases occurred in people who had close contact with infected animals in central and West Africa.

Confirmed spread of virus in 2022 spread through sex It first emerged and triggered outbreaks in more than 70 countries that had not previously reported MPOX.