Posted on 11/28/2001 10:36:47 AM PST by umbra
No story for the evening update yet, just the headline..but I did find an interesting Agence France Presse wire article that says that the contract according to USA Today (now on Durdge) has an 'option' clause for an extra order of 250 million.
This is in addition to the first order for every man woman and child in the United States.
BTW, I hope our overseas SOURCE for these additional vaccines doses is reliable.
I think you are.
That seems a bit unfriendly to me.
Wednesday November 28 6:51 PM ETFeds to Buy 155 Million Smallpox Vaccine Doses
By Lisa Richwine
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government said Wednesday it ordered 155 million smallpox vaccine doses from Acambis Plc and Baxter International Inc. to place in a stockpile to defend against potential bioterror weapons.
The companies, working as a joint venture, will produce the shots for $428 million with delivery expected by early or late fall of next year, Health and Human Services (news - web sites) Secretary Tommy Thompson announced. The cost per dose is $2.76.
The supplies will help the government stockpile enough doses to immunize each American if needed against what experts call one of the most frightening biological agents, Thompson said.
The United States has a previous order from Acambis for 54 million doses and is testing whether it can dilute older vaccine stocks. Once completed, the nation's stockpile will include 286 million smallpox vaccine doses, Thompson said.
``We should, at this time next year, have enough vaccine in stock to protect all Americans,'' Thompson told reporters during a telephone briefing.
``We also hope that increasing our smallpox vaccine stockpile would serve as a deterrent to any individual terrorist who might be considering using smallpox as a weapon,'' he added.
U.S. health officials began accelerating efforts to prepare for a smallpox attack after the Sept. 11 hijacking attacks and amid five deaths from inhaled anthrax since early October.
Officials said they do not plan a mass immunization program at the present time but want to be prepared to minimize the spread if a smallpox outbreak occurs.
``The probability of an intentional release of the smallpox virus is low, but the risk does exist and we must be prepared,'' Thompson said.
Highly contagious, smallpox kills about 30 percent of its victims and leaves others disfigured. There is no effective treatment once someone falls ill, but giving a vaccine in the days immediately following exposure can prevent illness.
The illness was declared eradicated worldwide in 1980, marking one of the greatest successes in modern medicine. The United States and Russia keep the only official supplies of the smallpox virus, but experts fear other countries or groups may have access to the agent and could unleash it as a weapon.
Routine smallpox vaccination in the United States ended in 1972, and officials are hesitant to resume the immunizations because the shots have been linked to serious side effects, including deaths.
Experts believe immunity to smallpox likely has worn off for people vaccinated before 1972.
Scientists are testing 15.4 million doses they have held since 1983 to see whether they can dilute them to 77 million doses.
As the newer vaccine becomes available, officials would tap those supplies first before using the older version as a backup, said Dr. Donald Henderson, a top bioterrorism adviser to Thompson and the man who led the effort that wiped out smallpox.
Acambis, based in Cambridge, England, and Baxter, based in Deerfield, Illinois, beat out rival bids from drug giants GlaxoSmithKline Plc and Merck and Co Inc.
Under the arrangement, Baxter will produce bulk vaccine at a facility in Europe and Acambis will refine and process the material at a plant in Massachusetts, Acambis spokeswoman Lyndsay Wright said.
Clinical trials of the vaccine are scheduled to start early next year, Acambis said.
1) Possible need for boosters for American citizens, whether newly vaccinated under 30 years of age or previously vaccinated but immunological status uncertain
2) Extra vaccine for our immediate neighbors, Canada and Mexico, with American interests at heart, and rightfully so
3) Extra vaccine to quell fires elsewhere in the world (an airplane is an awesomely efficient disease vector)
4) Extra in case our supply is comprised in some way, whether through human error, theft, sabotage, whatever...
I think it's a prudent approach to take. Besides, who knows how many people are really in this country?? Perhaps The Shadow do, but the gubmint don't.
Thanks for the very thoughtful reply, tallhappy. I thought as much...or at least along those lines, but it was good to read such a terrific, well reasoned response.
[smile]
These would be, from what i can imagine, the collapse of the u.s. and world economies (as the disease is spread worldwide by airplane travellers by the time they catch on), poverty in the u.s. on a scale certainly not seen since the depression and possibly much worse, with the civil unrest the goes along, the collapse of the major world financial markets with the associated 'issues' that would bring along, including possibly the insolvency of most major u.s clearing firms and banks(when your large customers are instantly wiped out and then quite a bit, you go under. Long Term Capital could have taken a major clearing firm under if the fed had not intervened), presumably banks might not open at all, even though the feds wont have to ban gold coin (an asset that survives governments) and certificates since they are not in ready circulation anymore. If smallpox was put out there in any of the not hard-to-imagine ways that cause it to be all over the country/world in a very short period of time, i firmly believe our way of life will be gone to a degree i find almost unimaginable.
I would assume the extra hundreds of millions of doses of smallpox are for either redundancy in storage inthe u.s. OR to be able to give to bordering allies so they dont invade (mexico) when faced with a catastrophic epidemic and no medicine.
Bingo, you got it, I've had mine.
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