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

To: E who wrote (36612)	11/11/2001 9:08:52 PM
From: Dayuhan	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 82486

If we are to believe the reports, it would seem that the Northern Alliance is prepared to strike at Kabul. I wonder, though, what we will do if they do take Kabul, and if they proceed to behave as they did the last time they took Kabul, when plunder, pillage, rape, etc. were the order of the day. That would pose an interesting problem for the US: it is always awkward when one's allies against terrorism turn out to be terrorists. I hope the enemy of our enemy turns out to be our friend. That has not always been the case in that part of the world.

To: E who wrote (36612)	11/11/2001 9:31:10 PM
From: Lazarus_Long	Respond to of 82486

I expect that if the US were attacked with a smallpox biological weapon, a national state of emergency would be declared and that would provide the legal cover needed for mandatory inoculation. The gov't could also prohibit unimmunized persons from leaving the country. It would take a declaration of national emergency or a state of war, though. And your memory is correct. If a high enough percentage of a population is immune, a pathogen can't establish itself. But heck, I could be wrong. I know nothing. Well we knew THAT. :-) Look, you can't just hand me great straight lines like that!

To: E who wrote (36612)	11/12/2001 1:20:38 AM
From: Patricia Trinchero	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

A virus is what is called an obligate intracellular parasite.It's a strand of RNA or DNA.It must have a living cell to use as it's own personal factory ( so to speak). If everyone has immunity to the virus from immunization then it has no cells to infect and will "die out". If new, non-immune individuals are constantly introduced to the virus then it will propagate. One way to eradicate the virus is to immunize everyone which was done in the past. That creates a situation where there are no susceptible hosts. There are risks involved with the vaccine so it won't be used unless there is an obvious risk from natural infection. The protection one gets from a great number of immunized individuals is because it is harder for the virus to propagate and "find" susceptible hosts. Each non-immunized person is still at serious risk but his or her chances of contacting the virus are reduced.