Small Pox

[testicle3455]

My generation was the last to receive the Small Pox vaccine. After that, no one has for all practical purposes the disease has disappeared, except that it is in some labs of certain countries. Small Pox is not a threat to the population which has been vaccinated or the few people who are fortunate enough to have a natural immunity, the disease kills on a very large scale and cripples the survivors - blinding some of them. Doctors say that immunisation against a disease which does no pose a threat is unnecessary - I do not know what the opinion of others in this matters is.

[espana]

You would not belive how easy it is for [ medical reserchers ] to get hold of viable smallpox samples. It terrifies me

[smoothshy]

Bio-chemical warfare? Sounds like a definite possibility.

[ShinChan]

My generation was the last to receive the Small Pox vaccine. After that, no one has for all practical purposes the disease has disappeared, except that it is in some labs of certain countries. Small Pox is not a threat to the population which has been vaccinated or the few people who are fortunate enough to have a natural immunity, the disease kills on a very large scale and cripples the survivors - blinding some of them. Doctors say that immunisation against a disease which does no pose a threat is unnecessary - I do not know what the opinion of others in this matters is.

I do not think you know how a vaccine works, else you would not be asking this question. The disease, for the most part, is completely destroyed, and by reintroducing the vaccine to the general population you risk creating an outbreak. For you see, a vaccine is simply an inert version of the virus allowing the hosts immune system to build anti-bodies to fight the real one, so that when they are infected they already have the antibodies in their system to fight it. This is also the reason that some times people get sick within a few days after receiving a vaccine. Basically if you start vaccinating people for smallpox now, you risk creating a pandemic because one person could get sick because of the vaccine and spread it to those who have no received the vaccine. What little remains (a total of 571 samples) is sealed away various government (US and others) labs.

[Marlene38EE]

Smallpox vaccine was originally developed way back when by Pasteur, I believe, using Cowpox...thus, if it ever becomes a threat again, it's an easy trick to repeat what he did, especially considering the very crude tools he had available.
He used the fluid from a cowpox blister on a milkmaid's hand.

Martin

[espana]

there are over 1000 labs and Universitys that applied for viable smallpox samples over the last 2 years non were denied . Russian stocks of non weaponised smallpox virus are esimated at approx .2 kilos. red army records for the kaxakistan bio watfare centre in 1986 showed showed resarch into the weaponised version of the virus still forging ahead and with estimated stocks of bio agents exceding half a metric ton probably not all Smallpox.

Ex red army bio labs under shadow ownership are still present in Kirov Yekaterinburg and posad . Facilitys at Sergiev and St Petersburg have ceased. None have been efectivley inspected under the present treaty
Acurate records of U.S stocks at Detrick are not avalible Atlanta has a reasonable control stock used only for reputable research ?