[piasa]

The virus can mutate all it wants but it is still susceptible to the cowpox vaccine.

[dandelion]

That is, IF you can get the vaccine... this drug is available, and they are saying it appears to be effective against smallpox. The vaccine will not be available until AFTER SUMMER 2003 - and unless you are one of the luck 15-40 million who are chosen to receive it, you will NOT get a vaccine. Cidofovir is already available, it's already FDA approved, and it's already been proclaimed by the government as probably effective against smallpox. It's dangerous, but so is the smallpox vaccine. Cidofovir's available, the vaccine is not. The government has already approved it and tested it - in event of smallpox infection, we should be able to have the option to use cidofovir if we choose.