Smallpox outbreak in Pakistan?

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | June 10, 2002 | Ron Strom

[reader25]

Pakistan's major English-language daily newspaper has reported what it calls a "smallpox epidemic" that is "rapidly spreading" in the Pakistani province of Swabi, a development that, if true, raises grave concerns about global health and bioterrorism

[flamefront]

Many on a previous thread considered they were confused with chickenpox. Has any professional spoken up on the Dawn article's conjectures?

[NYRepublican]

Highly unlikely this has occured as this would be a story on par with 9-11. Every news organization in the world would be all over this. Remember, smallpox has been eradicated.

[Dixie Mom]

It's probably measles. Lots of info on these two threads:

SWABI: Smallpox epidemic spreading in Swabi

Smallpox Epidemic Rapidly Spreading In Pakistan Province

[smith288]

I wonder if Padilla tipped over a beaker before he left Pakistan? Hmmmm.

[Nouge]

How exactly does a disease that has been eradicated form the planet suddenly show up in a country known to be home to many terrorists? This isn't the first thing I've seen about this... How has this not made national news yet... I just hope no one infected with it has hopped on a plain headed for the US.

[Dog Gone]

[Tree of Liberty]

There were a few stories in "Dawn" about this, but this is the first I've heard of the incident being reported in a Packastani paper. I haven't seen anything on this outside of the region, however. Are there any doctors in the house that have seen anything from the CDC/NIH/WHO/USAMRIID on this?

[Demidog]

This can't be true. The World Health Organization has assured the world that they have erradicated smallpox through mandatory vaccines. [This in spite of the fact that not even 10% of the worlds population has been vaccinated].

[TheLooseThread]

Ok, this is probably not smallpox. Fine.

But... this does give some insight into what would happen if a real smallpox outbreak occured.

Read all the stories about this. What I see over and over and over is authorities saying "yeah, I heard something about it somewhere. yeah, I guess we should look into it. Gee, but you know, it's probably nothing. Probaby just one of the other "poxes" that are around"

Which, again, is probably true. But what "if" there really were a terrorist screw up (an outbreak near where the terrorist are working on the weapon). Wouldn't it look just like this? Do we have to wait for WHO and the CDC to go an entire week or more while they simply rely on the fact that it is so improbable that it is smallpox?

The real story here is not the incorrect report of smallpox (if it is incorrect). The real story here is that you can depend on 1-2 week delay before any serious organiztion will look into a true smallpox outbreak. And that 1-2 week delay will doom us all.

[Demidog]

Remember, smallpox has been eradicated.

Do you really believe this? Less than 10% of the world's population has been vaccinated for smallpox. How could the vaccine possibly be responsible?

[Centurion2000]

Actually it's suprising that not a single agency has taken the time to confirm or deny the fact that someone in Pakistan is claiming a smallpox outbreak.

That in and of itself is rather disturbing.

[Demidog]

I thought smallpox had been eradicated.

That is the claim. It isn't true and if you visit WHO's website you'll see that there are plenty of "monkeypox" epidemics reported which are indistinguishable from smallpox. It all depends on the meaning of "is" erradicated.

[Dog Gone]

Dawn is the Pakistani paper. World Net Daily is merely recycling the same "news."

Except that it ain't smallpox.

[Rebelbase]

"Remember, smallpox has been eradicated. "

For now.

[Gophack]

"Routine vaccination against smallpox ceased in the United States in 1972, and experts estimate that most or all of the population is vulnerable to infection with the virus, which is highly contagious and carries a 30 percent mortality rate. Although the remaining known stocks of smallpox virus are kept in two high-security laboratories in the United States and Russia, many experts fear that terrorists might gain access to samples of the virus." (From Washington Post article)

Other news:

U.S.and Canada sign smallpox vaccine agreement

[cake_crumb]

This is either a propagandistic hoax or chicken pox. Or both.

[Alas Babylon!]

I sent an email to the CDC asking for clarification. I'm sure they don't want the rumors to fly and cause a panic. I also share your concerns. Read on, all:

Rebecca Harding of the World Health Organization's press office knew nothing of the story, but was eager to look into it.

A spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control says he had not heard anything from official sources about any outbreak.

"We did get some anecdotal reports," said the CDC's Llelwyn Grant.

"There are so many poxes out there that are sometimes misdiagnosed," Grant continued. "It could be a number of things."

If a nation's health minister were to contact the CDC, Grant mentioned, the organization would then take action to help the affected country deal with an epidemic.

Last week, the CDC began an unprecedented series of public forums around the nation, according to its website, to "solicit comments on the use of smallpox vaccine before and after a potential smallpox outbreak or bioterroist attack."

Terror experts have speculated on al-Qaida and other organizations' plans for bioterrorism and how deadly a smallpox attack would be. Pakistan is known to have pockets of al-Qaida operatives working within its borders.

Kind of scary, huh?

[Tree of Liberty]

Oops, thought "Dawn" was out of India. Thanks for the correction.