[brewcrew]

On the news last night they were talking about giving people the smallpox vaccination to prevent an outbreak. I'm not a doctor, and I don't play one on TV, but this sounds extremely fishy to me.

There's much we're not being told.

[Orange1998]

Monkeypox Sends Local Youth To Hospital Other Families Quarantined, Hospitalized In Indiana POSTED: 6:40 a.m. CDT June 11, 2003 UPDATED: 8:29 a.m. CDT June 11, 2003 CHICAGO -- Five cases of the monkeypox virus have been confirmed -- one in the Chicago area and four in Wisconsin. Another 48 possible cases are reported: 8 in Illinois, 16 in Wisconsin, 23 in Indiana and one in New Jersey. Health officials continue to search in Illinois and six other states for dozens of prairie dogs and other exotic pets that are believed to have been exposed to the virus by a Gambian rat imported from Africa. The search has been complicated by transfers of animals from dealer to dealer. One of the suspected cases of monkeypox is Julien Glenn, 17, of Warrenville (pictured, left), who is now hospitalized because of the virus. Glenn bought a prairie dog at a swap meet, and he thinks it originally came through Phil's Pocket Pets in Villa Park -- the site of origin of the outbreak, according to health officials. (Suspected monkeypox sore on Glenn's arm, below right) http://images.ibsys.com/2003/0611/2262441_200X150.jpg Glenn's mother said he was hospitalized primarily because he has so many lesions in his throat and mouth, it is difficult to swallow. In Indiana, a family in Laporte has been quarantined. Members of a family in Adams County were all hospitalized after showing symptoms of rash, fever and chills. The Indiana Board of Health has banned the importation and sale of prairie dogs and Gambian rats.

[iceskater]

Monkeypox and smallpox are related (and neither are related to chicken pox). There were studies done that found that people who had been immunized against smallpox tended to be less susceptible to monkeypox.

[Former Proud Canadian]

I think the theory is that smallpox vaccine gives one immunity against the whole pox family of diseases.

[_Jim]

There's much we're not being told.

That's probably because you 1) don't hold the proper clearance level and 2) you have no legitimate need to know ...

[FITZ]

I agree ---I find it kind of suspicious. I wouldn't mind getting monkeypox if it's mild and doesn't leave many scars ---maybe one monkeypox blister wouldn't be a bad idea if there's a possibility of smallpox being released.