[tallhappy]

I think it is precautionary. But the threat is out there either potentially or more directly.

People around 30 and under in this country were never vaccinated against small pox because it has been eradicated as a communicable disease caught in normal circumstances.

Those older who were vaccinated, everyone pretty much, may have become non-immune over time. So most people would be susceptible to small pox if an outbreak occurred. It is a particularly nasty disease and killed about 30% of the people it infects.

As far as the threat, the Russians grew vats of it as a bio warfare agent. This means it is still around somewhere somehow. Terrorists could get their hands on it, potentially.

But even if they couldn't get it from Russians, it is conceivably available for Iraq. The only known internationally agreed upon stock of the virus is in Atlanta at the CDC and in Russia. These were kept as a repository of a dead disease. There had been plans to destroy this last remaining stock. This is not where Iraq could get it.

But, there are ways Iraq could get and develop it completely inside their own country that are not far out or difficult to imagine.

I think that the small pox vaccines are pre-cautionary, but perhaps there is intelligence that is classified that indicates it is more than a potential threat.

Anyways, it is a good idea to do this and I believe we should begin standard vaccinations again like we did for centuries as a precaution.

[umbra]

I believe that children had stopped testing around 1972.

[harpseal]

Exellent description of the why's but there are a couple of additional facts. Among last known outbreaks of the disease were cases in Iraq and Afghanistan. The corpses that were infected would still harbor the virus and exhumation could well be a source of another outbreak. The exhumation could even be accidental and ead to new resiboirs of the virus with the population of the planet.

Stay well - Stay safe - stay armed - Yorktown

[Republic]

....Anyways, it is a good idea to do this and I believe we should begin standard vaccinations again like we did for centuries as a precaution.

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.