BioTerrorism Analysis: Weaponsized Infectious Disease and Emerging Disease

Various | 3-17-03 | Bones McCoy

[bonesmccoy]

Your comments are cogent and agree closely with my observation of this area.

I'm appalled with the lousy response, which looks to be nearly unpatriotic and unamerican.

I'm disgusted with public health bureaucrats.

We need the President to give us a chance to at least defend ourselves. The President sent out the vaccines.

The local public health officials sit like princes that squat on land betrothed to them through socialists.

It is high time for Tom Ridge to get pissed off.

Please Gov. Ridge... step in and fire 'em!

[southland]

Bump

[First_Salute]

The local public health officials sit like princes that squat on land betrothed to them through socialists.

Understatement of the decade.

Around here, "city hall" dug a deeper, wider moat, at our expense, to further their "empowerment" and try to prove that government works. The "place" bristles with feathers.

[southland]

RE post 58: I agree with you ,why is it such a big deal to innoculate for smallpox. I too feel that we should go ahead and be innoculated. If we wait for the need, millions of people will not be treated.
I am a farm person having been reared on a farm in North East Alabama and have a background of Agriculture education from Auburn University. Most people do not have the background to understand the BT threats.
Someone posted that paranoia would be the biggest problem and I concur.
I don't see the crop or plant pathogens as a really big concern NOW but in the long run this could really create an enormous problem for our world society.
If it were not for the American farmer now most of the world would have starvation. Any disruption of this fine line would cause world wide problems. One of the first consequences is our farmers would be economically challenged.
Anthrax and smallpox could cause enormous problems quickly if a method of spreading is ever secretly devised.

[bonesmccoy]

Dissemination of anthrax and small pox were evaluated by the former Soviet Union. MSNBC showed video tape from the lab involved. They still had seed colonies of anthrax in vials. Dangerous pathogens were still in the refrigerators.

They don't know how much could have been taken.

More importantly, you can isolate these germs from the general environment.

Genetic engineering of the organisms can be done with fairly standard vectors and cloning techniques.

(sarcastic smirk)

Have a nice sleep tonight :)

LOL.

[Cate]

I saw that tape and could not believe how casual everyone was around the refrigerator. You would think that to enter there would have been 10 locked doors and a secret password, but that certainly wasn't the case. It wouldn't be a comfort to me to have a deadly pathogen separated from me by a simple tupperware lid. Ugh.

[First_Salute]

Bump.

[bonesmccoy]

Dear Cate,

The people were handling the vials with gloved hands (latex?).

It certainly was not up to the level of precautions used at USAMRIID or CDC.

Still, how much of our level of "containment" is due to scientific need and how much is due to liability attorneys suing people?

The reality is that the workers compensation system is not only responsible for slowing distribution of vaccine, but it is also responsible for the escalating cost of vaccine research.

If we want US companies to produce drugs and vaccines for Americans, the reality is that most drug companies are not owned by Americans. They're owned by the Europeans.