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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: epicure who wrote (29030)	9/23/2001 7:03:22 PM
From: Lazarus_Long	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 82486

Now why would there be smallpox vaccine? The disease is extinct, right? :-) BTW, the immunity conferred by smallpox vaccination only lasts 3-5 years. So you and I both need boosters. And probably everybody else on the thread. I believe the only remaining smallpox virus is being held by the US and Russian gov'ts. In theory, anyway. Will they will release any to make more vaccine? We shall see. It was recently discovered that the USSR had made stocks of a smallpox biological weapon. And it's not impossible some of that could "fall" into the hands of terrorists. In an unprotected population. It could kill many millions.

To: epicure who wrote (29030)	9/23/2001 7:04:00 PM
From: Poet	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

I'm going to be calling around the major medical centers in my area this week (eg. Yale, Boston) for anthrax. I've been reading about sarin as well, which is very frightening.

To: epicure who wrote (29030)	9/23/2001 7:09:49 PM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 82486

Taking Bio-Warfare Seriously Sunday, September 23, 2001; Page B06 IN THE WAKE of the terrorist assaults, this country can no longer afford to be complacent about the possibility of biological terrorism. Biological attacks are often dismissed as far-out science fiction or as beyond moral imagination. They are neither. The terrorists have no moral limits, and a crude attack with biological weapons is probably simpler to pull off than what the terrorists accomplished already. Moreover, the country is woefully unprepared for germ warfare. This is an area that needs sustained, high-level attention. Several of the most dangerous biological warfare agents -- plague and anthrax, for example -- respond to antibiotics, so quick detection of an outbreak and rapid availability of drugs could save huge numbers of lives. But it is critical that adequate supplies of drugs be available and that plans exist for efficient distribution. Yet the planning has been caught up in turf battles, and a serious attack would likely overwhelm the medical system. Moreover, supplies of vaccines for such diseases as smallpox and anthrax are limited. Another problem -- one the Bush administration has sought to address in its proposed anti-terrorism legislation -- is current criminal law and the regulatory control over potentially deadly microbes. The law forbids only the possession of such materials "for use as a weapon," putting an onerous burden on prosecutors to show malevolent intent in order to bring a case. Moreover, the law specifically exempts "prophylactic, protective, or other peaceful purposes" from its coverage, giving would-be terrorists a potential defense in any case the government does pursue. Designing an appropriate legal regime is difficult, both because the microbes in question are naturally occurring and because the same microbes that can serve as deadly weapons are also essential for research into curing and preventing disease. But this should not prevent the development of a rigorous licensing and regulatory regime and stiff criminal penalties for those who cultivate biological warfare agents without permission. © 2001 The Washington Post Company