An investigation is underway involving the FBI after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found 15 vials labeled “smallpox” or “vaccinia” at a Merck lab in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, north of Philadelphia. An alert was sent to the Department of Homeland Security leadership Tuesday night.

Five of the vials were labeled “smallpox” while the other ten were labeled “vaccinia.” The vials were secured immediately, and the lab was on lockdown, though that has since been lifted.

“There is no indication that anyone has been exposed to the small number of frozen vials. A laboratory worker incidentally discovered the frozen vials labeled ‘Smallpox’ while cleaning out a freezer in a facility that conducts vaccine research in Pennsylvania,” a CDC spokesperson told Yahoo News.

Only two laboratories in the world are allowed doses of the virus--the main CDC lab in Atlanta and another lab in Russia.

A majority of those in the U.S. are not vaccinated against smallpox, a disease caused by the variola virus, and those few vaccinated will have little immunity by now. Prior to global vaccination, the virus infected millions and killed 3 out of 10 infected.

The last outbreak in the U.S. was in 1947 and the World Health Organization declared in 1980 that they globally eradicated the virus.

The CDC will reportedly take the vials and transport them to another facility for testing, but there is no sign that the virus was exposed to any person. There continues to be a concern that samples of the variola virus exist outside of the U.S. and Russian labs, but as of now, no one knows yet what exactly is in the vials at the Merck lab.

“CDC, its Administration partners, and law enforcement are investigating the matter and the vials’ contents appear intact. The laboratory worker who discovered the vials was wearing gloves and a face mask,” the CDC spokesperson added.

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