Mass smallpox vaccination prepared

BBC ^ | 10/09/2002

[UKCajun]

Millions of doses of the smallpox vaccine are to be stockpiled by the government to prepare for mass vaccination in the event of a bio-terrorist attack. The Department of Health said that while there was no evidence of a specific threat it was carrying out "intensive planning" just in case. Key health workers, including doctors and nurses, will be first to be offered the vaccine. They will form the first line of defence in any outbreak, caring for those taken ill in isolation.We should have in place enough vaccine to vaccinate on a mass population basis if necessary ....

However, Dr Ian Gibson, Labour MP and chairman of the Commons science and technology committee, said the government should be vaccinating the entire population and not just healthworkers. "We should move as quickly as possible to innoculating the whole population," he told the BBC. Dr Gibson added that a biological attack on the UK "will happen eventually". He said: "I'm sure somebody will try it."

[UKCajun]

Head's up!

[concerned about politics]

biological attack on the UK "will happen eventually". He said: "I'm sure somebody will try it."

I think they should vaccinate everyone who wants it. They're closer to Iraq than we are. They don't have an ocean to slow the killers down.

[concerned about politics]

PS....Especially now that the Nation of Islam has claimed France and Germany as theirs.
(And the liberals thought immigration was a good thing.)

[UKCajun]

Vaccinate everyone. NHS can't even handle a flu outbreak. Total chaos would ensue with smallpox.

[UKCajun]

Check out this article too:
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health/story.jsp?story=340943

The U.K. may have bought 20 million doses of the wrong vaccine!

[elfman2]

Vaccinations can easily be handled. It's the panic at even the threat that I'm concerned with. Free Republic was infested with a few hysterical newbie chicken-littles when a couple of dozen people were infected with anthrax, and they spamed every relevant thread creating fear. (And there were a lot of threads.)

If there is even a small ineffectual smallpox attack, a panicky population will drop our economy and our society to a crawl for weeks, maybe longer.

[William McKinley]

There's A Better Way To Beat The Media Clymers (And You Don't Have To Skate)!
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[monocle]

At the very least all employees of mass transportation, particularly air transport, should be required to be vaccinated. If a terrorist were infected and then travelled to the US via an airline, the ticket processors, airline stewards, custom agents and immigration agents could become carriers and infect all travellers they came in contact with, these travellers in turn would disperse throughout others in many parts of the country.

[UKCajun]

If there is even a small ineffectual smallpox attack, a panicky population will drop our economy and our society to a crawl for weeks, maybe longer

The Democrats don't get it. The War on Terror/Iraq IS about the economy. Economic security/prosperity are hand-in-glove with National Security.

[TheLooseThread]

Preston's new book "The Demon in the Feezer" just came out yesterday. He is the guy who wrote "The Hot Zone" about Ebola. This new book is about smallpox and is non-fiction. He talks about smallpox having killed 1 Billion people in the last 100 years it was around.

The more I learn about smallpox, the more chicken little looked like a prophet.

Here is the book link:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0375508562/qid=1034174140/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/103-7359565-4084646?v=glance&n=507846

[UKCajun]

Heathrow and Gatwick are gateways to the the U.S.!

[OldFriend]

I am totally confused by the talking head experts here in the States that are warning against giving the vaccination to young children.

My children were vaccinated before they were one year old if I remember correctly........

Once again, they are hoping we are all suffering from Alzheimers.

[Diana Rose]

I am waiting for the Dems to start calling for our smallpox vaccine to be sent to some more deserving underprivileged third world country.

[UKCajun]

It is nonsense. I was vaccinated as a boy (in my 40's now).

[monocle]

The US may not be able to act on foreign airports, but the US could require all foreign airline personnel entering the US be able to show proof of vaccination before embarking to the US. My concern is the heavily used international airports in the US like JFK or LAX.

[UKCajun]

It could happen! Has anyone seen any info with respect to the French, Germans, other Europeans stockpiling vaccine? Ooops!?

[OldFriend]

I got mine on my leg.......my mom was sooo vain.......lol........she thought no one would ever see my upper thigh!!! BTW, I'm 65 and telling everyone I'm 25....so you can see senility and silliness has set in!!

[UKCajun]

...entering the US be able to show proof of vaccination before embarking to the US.

Would that require "profiling?"

[bonesmccoy]

I've been posting in a different thread regarding a creatively timed press statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics. In the thread I discuss the clinical medical facts and described some of the reasons ring vaccination strategy is an ineffectual response.

The least costly response is to simply allow free market conditions to function. The gov't is WITHHOLDING vaccine from release currently and as a physician, I urge the gov't to complete their bureaucratic machinations and get this vaccine rolling again.

[monocle]

No way if vacinnations were required for all personnel and all passengers with foreign passports which could be insured by making it a prerequisite of being issued a visa.