[lepton]

[Ok, let me see. If we inoculate 1,000,000 people, reports say the odds are 2 people will die. If we don’t inoculate those 1,000,000 people and they all contract smallpox, reports say 333,333 will die, and another 333,333 will become disfigured and suffer life debilitating consequences. How can there be a debate on this? The anti-inoculation crowd would actually suggest that people die in a bio-terror attack when it can be avoided?]

As I understand, for 300 million innoculated, 6000-10000 will die, and 300,000 will be disfigured or debilitated - for something that may not come. Even if that's off by an order of magnitude, that's not something to be taken lightly.

[Miss Marple]

What I do not understand are all these doomsday figures about vaccinations. Back in the dark ages of my youth, EVERYONE was vaccinated. Period. I recall no instances of disfugurement greater than a slightly larger scar, no deaths, and no disabilities.

I do not know who is putting these figures out, but it makes no sense to me, unless they are figuring in AIDS patients and such who should NOT get the vaccination, anyway!

[Chairman_December_19th_Society]

As I understand, for 300 million innoculated, 6000-10000 will die, and 300,000 will be disfigured or debilitated - for something that may not come. Even if that's off by an order of magnitude, that's not something to be taken lightly.

Not sure where you get your numbers - they are off by at least an order of magnitute.

I see 600 dead, about 3-6,000 debilitated, according to the actuarial figures that keep getting cited (2 deaths per million, 10-20 injuries per million) in the public media.

But, it doesn't matter. The President closed the issue on the debate by allowing each person to decide for him or herself whether to accept the risk by getting innoculated. If you don't want the shot, you don't have to get it.

I intend to get it.