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Robert, I guess most of my argument is with Mr. Reese, and I think you chose a poor article to use to make your point, as stndatwrthistry says (by the way, stnd...get a new screen name...LOL!).

It is quite possible that you are correct and that they have something worse. It is also possible that they have a mutated variety of smallpox, in which case we will ALL need to be vaccinated, regardless of whether we were in the past. I am not a medical professional, so I can only go on lay readings and common sense as a mother and grandmother.

The government has a good idea of what SOME of the biological agents are. They cannot possibly know ALL of them. Therefore, it is wise to have a plan and whether it is used for smallpox or something else, or hopefully nothing at all, I am glad they are moving towards general vaccination.

"a mutated variety of smallpox"

indeed...

and the folks who knee jerk here about a reese article miss the point... his were dishonest questions... but questions that NEED to be answered.

Presenting questions here these days, seems to bring on attacks, instead of substantive answers... with name calling and insults, instead of information.

Anytime I see an article that relates to a thread that has been posted, I don't really see a problem with introducing it... even if it is by dickh#$d morris, or james carville.

Thanks for the insight... we need to consider what we are facing might be WORSE than simple smallpox... I don't know how to discuss it any other way. Unless we were to start discussing what vaccines our family members in the military have gotten in the last xxxx weeks, months or days...

That's about as blunt as I can put it.

ebola and diseases that would require isolation of communities for up to 60 days, might merit MORE water storage, safe foods and a supply of cash and perhaps lead and brass items...

potential martial law... would be a necessary consideration.

just for starters.

Miss Marple,
I've heard others bantering about a conjectured possibility of having a "mutated variety of smallpox". I highly doubt it. Testing of such a strain would require human subjects and the testing organization would need to be certain that their entire staff was previously immunized against the disease. The molecular engineering and testing of the product is not straightforward and it would be difficult to contain the virus from the general population. So, no, I doubt this is a likely scenario at this juncture. In the future as certain biotechnologies become more widespread (and we may want to assess our import/export restrictions on some molecular biology reagents and equipment), this threat may become more likely. However, I really doubt the ability to use this technique without having significant collateral damage to your own side (who are presumably unimmunized also).

The chief of the Soviet Union's smallpox weaponization program defected to us. His anglicized name is Ken Abilek. The enhanced, bioengineered, weaponized smallpox developed under his direction is terrifying. Here are its effective differences from natural smallpox:

Natural: 7-15 day incubation period (typically 10-12 days), 40-60% morbidity (40-60% of those exposed will contract it - say an average of 50%), 10-30% of those who contract it will die assuming enough medical care to keep them from dying of something else (20% average lethality).

Enhanced weaponized: 1-5 day incubation period (typically 3 days), 60-90% mordidity (average of 75%), 30-50% lethality (average of 40%).

So weaponized smallpox is about 50% worse than that found in nature and worse, its incubation period is only about three days. The latter means that vaccination won't save you if you've already been exposed. This stuff is a fucking disaster!