US public ill-informed about smallpox dangers December 20 2002 at 06:46AM Boston - Americans are so ill-informed about smallpox that a majority believe the deadly disease still breaks out naturally throughout the world and can be cured, a Harvard University survey found. The last case of smallpox was 25 years ago. And while halting the natural spread of the disease was one of the greatest public health victories in history, there is no cure yet. Misconceptions like these suggest a deep public misunderstanding of smallpox, despite many months of news reports and discussion about the possibility of a bioterrorist release...