Smallpox looms large

Submitted by shelbydburns Sun 05/22/2011

Smallpox was eradicated more than 30 years ago. So what now should nations do with the remaining live virus? Put off making any kind of decision seems to be what the US and Russia are comfortable with right now.

They are the only two countries with live virus cultures for the now defunct disease. Health ministers at the World Health Organization (WHO) are divided amongst themselves on the next move. While the US and Russia really don’t want to hold the hot potato any longer than they have to, they are hesitant to kill it off. Both countries insist that more can be leaned from the virus especially in regard to making a better vaccination. They also have trust issues. How can either really know the other has destroyed all the samples?

But there are other players on the world stage with an opinion. Iraq is one of the loudest. It can be guessed that they fear some kind of biological blow back in the event that they develop nuclear warhead capabilities.

Additional fears are that there may be some secret vial found somewhere. It’s happened before. “Vials of smallpox have been discovered deep in freezers. This has been announced. I don’t know how many more of these there might be,” said Dr. Nils Daulaire, Director of the US Office of Global Health Affairs. At least they admit it.

“Until smallpox really leaves, the world would be pretty vulnerable since most of the world population has no immunity to smallpox,” said Kathleen Sebelius, US Secretary of Health. WHO maintains the stockpile of vaccines, all 32.6 million of them, in a secure site in Switzerland.

A vote is due on Monday by the 193 members of WHO and it is expected that nations will follow the resolution.

Source: Reuters

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