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>For that reason the government instead built its plans around a containment strategy. Vaccine would be stockpiled for use in case of an outbreak. If smallpox were spotted, authorities would declare a health emergency and rush to vaccinate (or quarantine) everyone likely to have crossed the virus's path. (Fortunately, the vaccine is effective even when given a few days after exposure, so in principle post-outbreak vaccination could stop the spread.) There is certainly something to be said for the containment strategy...

How many people would not have AIDS today if a "containment strategy" had been used at the start of that outbreak? Why is there "...certainly something to be said for the containment strategy" regarding smallpox, but not AIDS?

Mark W.

The risk of a terrorist bio-attack using smallpox is an unknown quantity. Is there a large chance of it happening? A small chance? I feel confident in saying this: "There is at least some chance of such an event taking place."

The risk of serious side-effects of the vaccine are given at 1:300,000. That's pretty close to zero.

The odds of an attack are unknown, but conceivably way higher than 1:300,000.

I'll take my chances with the vaccine. Where do I go to get one? Who do I write my check out to?

For the record, I'd be willing to pay $100 for this shot. I'm sure it would be cheaper and I expect it to be cheaper. But my point is, if $100 was the going rate for an FDA-approved vaccine, I'd do it, for me and my wife.

How many others are there like me out there? I'll bet the number is larger than 1 in 300,000 Americans. Much larger. Maybe not willing to pay $100 (probably because they haven't taken the time to look at the photos of this disease), but willing to pay something.

Where are the entrepreneurs when we need them?

There's never a good pharmicist around when you need one!

"Indeed, Ewald said, "If you have thirty million people vaccinated, the terrorists might just decide, Let's not bother.""

This is utter B.S. Can you imagine Osama thinking this? Gee, we'll only kill five, not ten million.

The alleged threat of a relatively small amount of death or injuries from small pox is akin to Bush's latest admonitions "preparing us" for military casualties. Well, it's a war ain't it? I'm beginning to wonder whether there is a lot of truth in these "paper tiger" allegations.

What I read between the lines in this article is there is some interest, 99% sure relating to someone's pocketbook, not to immunize everyone. If it's the government, and fears of "big government" paying for the safety of the people, I recall the Constitution saying "provide for the common defense..."

Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, about one in 300,000 people died from side effects of the vaccine or suffered irreversible brain damage. At that rate, if all 280 million Americans were to be vaccinated, nearly a thousand people would die or be gravely injured.

These statistics were compiled decades ago. While the new vaccine will be somewhat safer due to the use of bioreactors rather than cattle to grow the virus, there are all sorts of antiviral drugs available now to control adverse reactions that were not available in the 1960s. It may be possible to greatly reduce serious and fatal side effects.

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