Posted on 11/09/2001 4:57:24 PM PST by Magician
All Americans could be forced to have smallpox jabs under plans being considered by President Bush, despite fears that such a programme would kill hundreds.
Underlining White House fears about America's vulnerability to a new wave of bioterrorism, Mr Bush said that he was discussing with Tommy Thompson, the Health Secretary, whether to order mandatory vaccinations.
"One of my concerns is if we were to have universal vaccination, some might lose their life," he said. "But I'm looking at all options, all possibilities."
Authorities in the US have already announced that they intend to stockpile 300 million doses of smallpox vaccine, enough for the country's 260 million citizens. But last night was the first time that anyone had suggested they would be compulsory rather than used to cover an emergency.
Mr Bush made his remarks yesterday as he was touring the Centres for Disease Control in Atlanta, which houses one of only two officially kept samples of smallpox since the World Health Organisation declared in 1979 that the virus had been eradicated. Earlier this week scientists at the Vektor Institute in Siberia, which holds the other sample, gave warning that underpaid Russian workers could be tempted to sell the virus to terrorists.
The last case of smallpox was in 1977. The vaccine is fatal for one in a million cases.
Yes, probably blackpox from what I've been reading. And even with smallpox, not only is there a 30% fatality rate, but many many survivors are left blind. I don't know what the effects of blackpox are.
I'm against forced innoculations. All of us are smart enough to do a little research and decide if we want to take our chance with smallpox or take a chance with a pretty harmless vaccinia virus that could save our lives. The vaccine was used many years ago, our government did not create the virus. It was English milkmaids who first explained to Edward Jenner why they didn't catch smallpox.
The only proven treatment for the complication is vaccinia immune globulin (VIG) and the Consensus statement repeatedly states we have very little of that. It can be given as treatment for complications. It can also be given preventively, at the same time, when high risk people have to be vaccinated. It can only be made from the blood of recently vaccinated people. While we are increasing our vaccine stocks we also should be vaccinating enough people now to make enough VIG for the demand those stocks would produce. We should prudently do that whether we plan mass vaccinations or whether we just plan to keep the vaccine in reserve.
Unimpeachable source!
And so do I. But, did you ever wonder how many kids might have died from an allergic reaction? Or from contaminated serum?
They can pay for it. Or if you want to raise the issue that we are discriminating against legal visitors and illegal immigrants, lets drop everyones taxes and have everyone pay for it.
We need checkboxes for every government function not spelled out in the US Constitution that we are willing to support. Put these on the 1040 forms, and lets see if we can defund some of these.
Which is why that number must be as small as possible.
Since these others, by not taking the vaccine, have already decided to take the chance of getting smallpox, and are endangering themselves, I do not see any issue.
As usual with this sort of argument, you demonstrate a failure to comprehend that a bunch of sick people is a HUGE public health problem, that has to be dealt with. In essence you're asking everyone else to take the risk so you don't have to, and then you want us to take care of you if you get sick.
To you it seems like an individual decision with no ramifications beyond yourself, but you're wrong.
It IS an individual decision.
Let the ones have refused to be innoculated risk getting smallpox. They are the ones that end up paying the price for not getting innoculated. Plus, it is their health care dollars that will be put to work taking care of them.
What is the 'risk' that you are referring to? "In essence you're asking everyone else to take the risk so you don't have to, and then you want us to take care of you if you get sick."
280 million Americans, the ones that want to be innoculated, get themselves innoculated. The ones that don't, do not. We do not force them to be innoculated if they do not want to. They will be the ones to get sick if they happen to catch it. If they don't catch it, then they are lucky, and maybe, they should go plan a Vegas trip. The ones that get innoculated and do not catch it will think that they did the right thing. The ones that decided to get innoculated, but get sick because of the vaccine have only themselves to blame, since no one was forcing them to take it.
Everyone wins. Freedom is maximized.
Group A: People who take the vaccine with their approval, who do not develop smallpox. They get to have peace of mind during a smallpox outbreak.
Group B: People who take the vaccine with their approval, but get smallpox because of their physical makeup, or faulty vaccine. They get to blame their parents, or the pharmaceutical company.
Group C: People who do not take the vaccine, but do not develop smallpox. They get to say "Constitution of an ox!" to their friends and family.
Group D: People who do not take the vaccine, but contract smallpox. The get to say "Shouldda, couldda, wouldda."
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