Bio-defense requires smallpox vaccine

Washington Times ^ | Tuesday, April 16, 2002 | By Joseph Curl

[JohnHuang2]

British Prime Minister Tony Blair ordered 16 million doses of smallpox vaccine after Vice President Richard B. Cheney visited last month and warned about the threat of an attack by Iraq.

In a short stopover March 12 on his way to the Middle East, Mr. Cheney met with Mr. Blair for several hours at the prime minister's 10 Downing Street office. The vice president detailed reports from intelligence sources that said the United States and Britain would be the prime targets of a biological terrorism attack.

[JohnHuang2]

Tuesday, April 16, 2002

Quote of the Day by gcruse 4/16/02

[The Great Satan]

Intelligence sources think that if attacked, Saddam would unleash attackers armed with smallpox in the United States and Britain.

Well, anthrax really. But that threat is -- how shall I put it? -- a little too concrete. For now, anyway. The deconditioning will take a few more weeks. But aside from that calculated nuance, this is exactly what I've been telling everyone for the past six months. From the horse's mouth -- or rather, from the Vice-President of the United States.

[My Identity]

The only known remaining stocks of virus are in two laboratories, one at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and the other in Russia.

Um, not exactly...
Russia has 20 tons of the stuff (and no controls)...
The Demon in the Freezer
And if it gets loosed on a world with NO immunity, well...

[Rudder]

The United States has made dramatic steps to increase its stockpile of 15 million doses of smallpox vaccine.

None of which is available for the American public.

Well, at least the "stockpile" will not get smallpox.

[cicero's_son]

I think the likelihood of a smallpox attack is about as slim as an attack with weaponized killer bees.

First of all, it's not lethal enough. It's nasty, but it only kills ~30% in even the most virulent outbreak.

Second, the blowback potential is just too great. All we'd have to do is find a few infected folks and put them on airplanes to Damascus, Beirut, Cairo, Tripoli, Tehran, and Riyadh. And smallpox, unlike Anthrax, is not truly "assymetrical." A first world healthcare system is a hell of a lot better equipped to deal with it than a third world system.

I'm with you. Smallpox is code for anthrax.

[techcor]

There was a program on Discovery about a week or two ago concerning crocodile blood. It seems crocs (and komodo dragons) have mouths full of bacteria. Well, someone decided to find out why they never developed any bacterial diseases. Turns out they have something in their blood that destroys all (repeat: all) bacteria. They are still developing it but there may be a panacea for all bacterial diseases. I don't suppose anyone else caught that show?

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[realpatriot71]

I concur. Developed countries would have the dz quarantined as soon as it showed up minimalizing the damage. However, smallpox has the real possiblity of killing many in 3rd world countries (the same countries that would be for such an attack) without the same modern medical services we have in the US, Canada, and Europe. Terrorists would be plain stupid to use a smallpox attack.

[Gritty]

First of all, it's not lethal enough. It's nasty, but it only kills ~30% in even the most virulent outbreak.

If you haven't read it, I urge you to read the link in Post #3.

[The Great Satan]

I'm with you. Smallpox is code for anthrax.

Announcing a vaccination program for smallpox is great way to get people mentally prepared for the next step. If you watch the way the news reports are developing, the story is coming together from both ends -- here we see Cheney has layed out Saddam's biological deterrent strategy, meanwhile they're gradually "uncloaking" the real story on last years' anthrax threats. Pretty soon, things are going to meet in the middle. This has been a masterful manipulation of public perceptions, IMO, and fully justified under the circumstances.