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I thought smallpox would be almost impossible for the terrorist to get because only two labs (USA & Russia) have the virus and the security is very tight? I'm just wondering how they would get ahold of it and how would they transmit the virus? So, I'm hoping this is one of those stories that is just getting blown out of proportion. Anyway, it is a scary thought. Hope they could isolate any outbreak and vaccinate people close to the victims to contain it.

Journal of American Medical Association's Article on Smallpox's use as a bioweapon.

It is my belief that articles on this subject in credible scientific journals would NOT be appearing if there were no credible evidence for the release of this virus from Russian "safekeeping."

Smallpox–The viral infection which once claimed millions of victims, but then was declared eradicated in 1979, is back at the top of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention watch list–this time as the leading biological terrorism threat to the US. Russian intelligence reports and other evidence have lead CDC officials to conclude that North Korea and other potential adversaries may have harvested smallpox for use in weapons. Smallpox is unlike other biological agents, such as anthrax, in that it’s highly contagious but can be handled with impunity by those who are immunized. However, many are now vulnerable because for a while smallpox hasn’t been rec gnized as a general threat to human health and inoculations in the US and most other countries have all but stopped. That's from this site: Hazmatmag.com

I thought smallpox would be almost impossible for the terrorist to get because only two labs (USA & Russia) have the virus and the security is very tight? I'm just wondering how they would get ahold of it and how would they transmit the virus?

Iraq was told by the WHO to destroy its smallpox samples back in the early 80's (I believe). Did they? What do you think?

I thought smallpox would be almost impossible for the terrorist to get because only two labs (USA & Russia) have the virus and the security is very tight? I'm just wondering how they would get ahold of it and how would they transmit the virus? So, I'm hoping this is one of those stories that is just getting blown out of proportion. Anyway, it is a scary thought. Hope they could isolate any outbreak and vaccinate people close to the victims to contain it.

The Russians violated their treaty obligation and massively expanded their biological warfare capabilites in the 1980s. According to Ken Alibek, they manufactured over 20 tons of Variola major virus between 1980 and 1991. Considering the economic problems facing Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union, I would not be surprised if a scientist or lab technician stole a few milligrams of the virus.

I thought smallpox would be almost impossible for the terrorist to get because only two labs (USA & Russia) have the virus and the security is very tight?

I thought that too. But then the feds announced they will be increasing the # of smallpox vaccine doses from 2 million to 300 million. What does that tell you? Would they be doing so if there were not, here comes that expression again, a "credible threat"?