The Russian Strain(Iraq and Smallpox)

Wall Street Journal ^ | 3/27/03 | ROBERT GOLDBERG

[woofie]

Russia's foreign minister, Igor Ivanov, was decidely testy yesterday, saying that his country's firms have not violated sanctions on Iraq. "There is no evidence confirming violations by Russian firms of existing sanctions," he stated, before aiming sharp words at the U.S. He has reason to be so defensive. Russia's involvement in the arming of Iraq goes beyond supplying radar-jamming systems and the personnel to maintain them. Moscow has supported Iraq's development of weapons of mass destruction and connived with Baghdad in hiding its role as a main supplier of the materials and know-how to weaponize anthrax, botulism and smallpox.

[woofie]

In 2002, Alan Zelicofff, an adviser to inspection teams and a senior scientist at Sandia National Laboratories who has run a hepatitis C monitoring program with Russian epidemiology units, uncovered a Soviet-era secret report about the Aralsk outbreak. When forced to admit its occurrence, Dr. Zelicoff's Russian counterparts claimed it was a natural outbreak triggered by the "garden variety" smallpox virus. But after interviews with victims and an analysis of the outbreak's timing and trajectory, Dr. Zelicoff determined that it was caused by "a new and lethal strain of smallpox that traveled at least 20 miles from a secret biological weapons testing site on an island in the Aral Sea to infect people downwind on a ship." Of the six adults who were exposed to the strain, five contracted smallpox despite being immunized. Dr. Zelicoff and others believe that the strain is more communicable, and might be vaccine-resistant. He asked colleagues in Russia to help him locate the strain last summer and to determine if the current smallpox vaccine can protect people from infection. They replied curtly that no such strain existed, a stance they maintain to this day.

[EternalHope]

We will be very lucky if the only trouble this Russian perfidy causes is a diplomatic dust-up. They have the potential to put a lot of Americans in the grave.

[woofie]

Ping

[Mr. Mojo]

Indeed they do, if they also desire to be wiped off the face of the earth. I don't think they're willing to go there.

[woofie]

There sure seems to be a lot of made in Russia signs in Iraq

[nanomid]

infected with smallpox despite vaccine

We need to be sure we use our advantages to our advantage.
Give the poorest of them tickets back to Russia and China.
They'll die in much larger numbers.

[tomahawk]

Ping

[Libertarianize the GOP]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[Mind-numbed Robot]

I hope this Iraq campaign shocks us into reevaluating our relations with the Four Weasals: France, Germany, Russia, and China.

[binreadin]

But--how long ago had these people been vaccinated? Isn't it commonly believed that vaccinations lose their potency after 20 years or so? I know there is conflicting information on this, as studies of at least one outbreak showed that vaccinations actually protect longer than the medical community has thought true. We need more information here.

[Smokin' Joe]

"There is no evidence confirming violations by Russian firms of existing sanctions,"

How Clintonesque.

[stilts]

According to his book Biohazard, Soviet defector Alibek (one of the scientists in charge of the bio weapons program) a crucial step in weaponizing any bio agent is to make it resistent to known vaccines and treatments.

[nebulas]

In Richard Preston's book THE DEMON IN THE FREEZER, the point is made that if you have the smallpox virus available then it only takes the equivalent of a moderately equipped college lab to alter the virus and produce smallpox that is vaccine resistant.

I have serious doubts about the medical community being able to quarantine and contain an outbreak of "garden variety smallpox, let alone a strain that would be resistant.

[stilts]

Thanks for the heads-up on Preston's book. I'll check it out.