Dilution of Smallpox vaccine could be hazardous given that the stocks are probably old, and so the viability could be below optimal levels already. The currently available Vaccinia stocks in Britain date back to the 1970s. The number of failed vaccinations with diluted vaccine would therefore increase, so a careful experiment would have to be done to determine a safe dilution factor, this might not be as high as we would like.
This is most peculiar given the responsibility of the federal gov't to "Provide for Common Defense". Clearly, this vaccine falls into the realm of "common defense".
It is always possible that the intelligence they have received suggests al Qaeda don't have access to Smallpox at the moment.
Your comments appear to support release of the vaccine more than withholding. Am I correct in conclusion?
If vaccine from a source which doesn't impinge on the emergency stocks can be made available to people voluntarily, then I believe it should be. If there is intelligence which suggests a reasonable threat from a terrorist Smallpox attack, then mass vaccination should be begun as soon as possible. This is because the potential loss of life in such an attack could be very large.
A smallpox attack would be the "holy grail" for al Qaeda, thus a mass vaccination campaign would have a powerful deterrent effect. After all, al Qaeda will probably be around for a few more years and it won't be possible to maintain 100% levels of vigilance against bioterrorist attacks for years.
Also smuggling microorganisms is extremely easy. I have a former colleague who managed to smuggle 0.5 Kg of freeze-dried bacteria past two sets of suspicious Customs, by putting it into a tea box. I also heard about a Microbiologist who soaked a sterilised handkerchief in a solution of fungal spores to allow him to take the fungus abroad without doing all the excessive paperwork!
You are incorrect regarding dilution of vaccine stockpiles. The US gov't has already completed dilution experiments and the vaccine was still viable.
It is the CDC who is focusing on adverse events. This is particularly ironic given the existance of the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting system.