Posted on 07/06/2002 6:29:42 PM PDT by kattracks
Or some pretty scary lobbying by those who make the vaccine.
Oh dear. Better hope he doesn't have anything genetically-engineered to evade the vaccine. I use genetically-engineered viruses in my work, and it is rather frightening how easy it is with current technology to play mix and match with these things. For instance, it is quite routine to take an ecotrophic virus (one that only infects a single species) and turn into an amphitrophic virus (one that infects a wide range of species) simply by swapping out the genes that code for the coat proteins. If Saddam is operating at that level of technology, I venture to say we could lose about a third of the population in the coming showdown -- comparable to a full-scale nuclear exchange. If he has only conventional smallpox, anthrax, botulism, etc., then we may be able to contain the threat to something managable by building up our civil defense infrastucture. Even then, I don't think we're near that point -- perhaps in a couple of years. I expect Bush to keep up the rhetorical heat on Saddam and pursue every avenue to put the squeeze on him, including military pressure, but I thing those who are expecting a big assault in the next 12 months will be disappointed. Way too dangerous, I'm afraid.
I just finished reading BioHazard by Ken Alibek. EbolaPox is not an impossible combination.
10 posts. A million on Michael Jackson.
But, there is little to say. Except it is major.
Crazy freaks will put in their worthless 2 cents (eg W.G.).
I was watching a show on poisonous animals. They showed a salamander whose skin naturally contained botulism. They showed a large bullfrog eat the salamander and minutes later they showed the salamander crawl out of a dead bullfrog.
The show then went to a clip of Saddam and what they said was enough botulism to kill the world 4-7 times over.
They made it sound like there would be no hope if something like that was used.
There must be so many things available now that it would be impossible to protect ourselves from multiple attacks (which would explain the hundreds of underground facilities our government has built in the last few years).
I remember 27 years ago in the army a chemical they said would crystalize your blood and others they said would make you hemorage to death.
It's obvious to me that they are not worried about the masses. Especially after they supplied Saddam with the chemicals, trained him to use them and still called him ally after he used our chemicals on his own people.
It looks like a little population reduction is on the way.
Yup. How much will it cost us to vaccinate the illegal immigrants?
No idea. Sounds a bit unlikely to me.
Cipro and doxycycline are the treatments of choice for a wide range of bacteriological agents. I stocked up months ago. Antibiotics won't do a thing against smallpox, of course. I highly recommend Lawrence J. Joyce's book How to Survive a Germ Warfare Attack for more info.
At least with the pox viruses there is cross-immunity so even if they aren't the same --monkeypox, smallpox, cowpox and maybe genetically engineered pox are all prevented with the vaccine.
Yup. Heck, it's just my money and my life. What's another dead white guy?
I work. I'm a taxpayer. Why can't I get my vaccination now.
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