[r9etb]

See here for a look at it from the perspective of the New Yorker.

[aristeides]

If it's resistant to vaccines, how does Saddam protect himself and his country from it?

[Heartlander2]

Could it be that a warning has been shot over Bush's bow?

[aristeides]

I heard Richard Preston speak about his book "The Demon in the Freezer" on C-SPAN the other day. Apparently the CDC is working on a substance that would disable the ability of the variola organism to kill people. This ought to work against all strains of smallpox, resistant or not.

If Iraq is thinking of using a strain that is resistant to vaccines, the U.S. thus has a head start on developing a countermeasure. Iraq would probably be fully vulnerable. Conventional smallpox had a mortality rate of 30%. A more virulent strain would presumably have a higher mortality. If it unleashes this scourge, Iraq may suffer something worse than the Black Death.

[GBA]

This article and the times we are living in have a serious one of the four horsemen, Book of Revelation sorta feel to them. All part of The Plan, I suppose. I wonder how close we really are.

[The Great Satan]

The American officials have also been unable to obtain information [from the Russians] that they believe could help federal investigators with their stalled inquiry into the anthrax attacks of October 2001, in which 5 people died and at least 17 were infected.

Interesting last paragraph, left sort of hanging out there, disconnected from everything else in the story. What information are they talking about?

[Radioactive]

If Iraq uses smallpox against the US, Then NUKE THE sob's.
End of story.

[backhoe]

If you follow the links within links within links here & here:

Nuclear, Biological, & Chemical Warfare- Survival Skills, Pt. II

The Poor-Boy Nuke-- Bioterrorism***

...you will eventually find "The Demon in the Freezer," articles about the woman doctor who was Saddam's top bioterror expert, etc.

[Wordsmith]

bump for later

[droberts]

P.S. What's the betting that the first outbreak (if there is one) is amongst cruise ship passengers.

[FormerLurker]

I really hope these people remember that we have a few weapons of mass destruction of our own, enough to turn the entire middle east and then some into a sheet of glass...

[blam]

Begin volunteer smallpox vaccinations now.

[TheRedSoxWinThePennant]

THIS ARTICLE IS BUNK COME ON PEOPLE SADDAM HAS ALREADY SAID HE DOESNT HAVE ANY EAPONS OF MASS DISTRUCTION NOTHING TO SEE HERE MOVE ALONG NOW

[TheRedSoxWinThePennant]

after reading this if you really want to have bad dreams read the finding of the govts mock smallpox attack

http://www.glennbeck.com/hots/darkwinter.shtml

[boris]

I recall reading here that arab women smuggled vials into the U.S. concealed in 'body cavities' during the 1990s.

In other words, I think it better than 50/50 odds that the materials are here and ready to be deployed when the right signal is sent.

Yet we are not vaccinating everyone--hand-wringing about "risk". They'll get a couple of "martyrs", infect them, and let them walk through a few airports.

--Boris