Feds Charge 2 NIH Scientists With ‘Conspiracy to Smuggle’ Deadly Virus

Key Points:

• Two NIH scientists, Vincent Munster and Claude Kwe, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle monkeypox (mpox) into the U.S. and lying to federal authorities after bringing undeclared samples from the Republic of Congo into Detroit in January.
• The scientists carried 113 microcentrifuge tubes containing inactivated mpox samples, which are typically used for diagnostic testing or assay development, according to experts and prior NIH research.
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection emphasized zero tolerance for attempts to bypass border enforcement or deceive investigators regarding biological materials, highlighting the researchers' foreign citizenships.
• Some virologists criticize the prosecution, arguing the scientists were conducting legitimate research on an ongoing outbreak and that the government’s evidence does not support criminal wrongdoing.
• Mpox, renamed by WHO to reduce stigma, causes flu-like symptoms and a distinctive rash, spreads through close contact rather than casual travel exposure, and has a low fatality rate except among immunocompromised individuals in Africa.