[aristeides]

I heard the author of The Demon in the Freezer on C-SPAN a week or so ago. If I understood him right, he said the CDC is developing something that will stop the fatal activity of the variola (smallpox) virus, which would presumably work against any strain of smallpox, as antitoxin works against any strain of anthrax.

[Peach]

I hope you heard right about the author of The Demon in the Freezer, because the book further detailed how the Russians have literally tons of smallpox, which they were actively growing (if that's the right word) in the 90's. What had shocked the scientists working with smallpox was the discovery that one small change in smallpox changes the vaccine needed to counteract the disease.