AAP FactCheck - A security breach at a Queensland lab is being falsely spun to claim that hundreds of vials of a non-existent virus are missing - with a Bill Gates conspiracy theory thrown in for good measure.
Multiple1 posts 2on 3social media4 are sharing an article claiming that "Hundreds of vials of 'Disease X' go missing from Gates-Funded laboratory".
The claims are being shared from an article 5on The People's Voice, which is linked to Your NewsWire6, a fake news publisher frequently cited for spreading false news7, according to the Poynter Institute for Media Studies.
There's a germ of truth in the lab story, but the posts misrepresent an actual biosecurity breach involving unaccounted for vials of infectious diseases that went missing from the state-run lab.
However, the incident involved neither "Disease X" - a term used to describe a hypothetical pathogen8 that could cause a potential future pandemic - nor Bill Gates, who does not fund the lab.
It was recently revealed 9that 323 virus samples went missing from Queensland's Public Health Virology Laboratory10 in 2021 11in what Health Minister Tim Nicholls called a "major breach" of biosecurity protocol.
In a statement to AAP Factcheck, a Queensland Health spokesperson confirmed that the only samples missing from the laboratory are Hendra virus12, 13Lyssavirus14 and Hantavirus15.
An investigation has been launched into the incident, 16but "there is no evidence of risk to the community from the breach," the minister said in a statement17.
The material apparently went missing after a freezer storing the samples broke down, but there is no suggestion it was taken or stolen from the laboratory.
"Disease X" is not actually a real disease at all. Rather, as AAP FactCheck has previously shown18, 19it is a placeholder term used by scientists, health organisations and world leaders since 2018 to stand in for a potential new virus that could impact global health.
In a February 2024 fact check, University of Melbourne Prof Terry Nolan20 said the term "X" was used as a placeholder for possible future pandemics, and the idea it was a real disease planned to be inflicted on the world was "ridiculous lunacy".
Kate Kelland21, 22author of the book DISEASE X — The 100 Days Mission to End Pandemics, explained to AAP FactCheck that 'Disease X' was a critical tool in health planning.
"It is an extremely important concept for scientists and public health experts to have as a focus of their work, and of the work the world needs to do, in preparing to face future pandemic threats," she said.
The claim that billionaire Microsoft founder and vaccination advocate Mr Gates has something to do with funding the Queensland lab has also been debunked.
A Queensland Health spokesperson confirmed the facility was "wholly funded by the Queensland government" when asked by AAP FactCheck if Mr Gates had any connection to the lab.
