Thus his own venture: a plan to develop a
spray that would kick-start the general immunologic defenses of the mucous membranes lining the nose, throat and
lungs.
At the first sign of a terrorist attack, Alibek said, people in danger zones could use such a spray, perhaps
stockpiled in their homes and offices for such an emergency. This could happen even before scientists knew what
germ was involved. The spray would rev up a person's immune system to fight the germ.
It would be just a first line of defense — once the germ was identified, more specific treatments or preventives
might be deployed, if available. The strategy might not save the entire population of a city under attack, Alibek said,
but it could save a large percentage.
A second generation echinacea, if you like. I believe in this approach, and there's tons of experimental evidence to support it.
Think anti-TNF and an increased susceptibility to intracellular bacterial pathogens, for example. |
