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Smallpox Anyone?


LucidElement

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You never know what you're going to find in an unused storage room. Employees at the National Institutes of Health, for example, recently discovered some old vials of variola. You may know variola by its less formal name -- smallpox.

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2...ound/index.html

Edited by Saru
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Somebody left it there.thanks for posting

Edited by coolguy
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Could I have bit of both? I've never been one to shy away from a challenge.

If it doesn't kill you, it'll make you stronger.

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Sooooooooooo many jokes I want to make right now.....I just don't feel like topping any watch lists for secret gov't organizations......soooooooooooooooo many jokes.........

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We old people are mostly immune to smallpox (having had multiple vaccinations when young). However, anyone under about age 55 probably has no immunity to the virus. Personally, I think it might be very wise to simply start giving people the vaccine again, or at the very least stockpile some of the vaccine just in case. This particular virus is easily spread and could readily be used as a biological weapon.

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From what I read, most think the virus is more than likely dead given that it hasn't been refrigerated in a few decades.

The eradication of smallpox is one of the huge successes of modern medicine - as well as provided for the birth of vaccines in general (another huge success). Was just listening to a great podcast about it yesterday. Check it out:

http://www.maximumfun.org/shows/sawbones

And a plug here - if you enjoy tales of weird medical stuff and medical history in general, you'll enjoy Sawbones. Plus they're funny as hell.

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Good thing the things were packed correctly and being sent to the CDC Headquarters. I can't imagine of someone with evil intentions getting ahold of it. Dx

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If it doesn't kill you, it'll make you stronger.

I'm all for stronger.

Younger would be nice too! :P

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I can't imagine of someone with evil intentions getting ahold of it.

.

sadly, i can think of at least a half-dozen people who'd love to get hold of a vial or two....

.

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It's hard to say after so much time whether the virus is still capable of infection, but such an outbreak would be a disaster. I don't know if we have ample supplies of the vaccine available after so many years, if any; quarantine might be the only way to stop the spread. IMHO these vials should have been placed in a high temperature incinerator.

To the point that those over 50 had Smallpox vaccinations and would be immune, that is possible, but I would not want to rely on that. With many diseases you need booster injections over time to maintain immunity and it's been a long time since anyone was vaccinated for the disease.

I know someone who worked at the CDC, the facility that deals with chemicals, not infectious agents, and was told how political this and other governmental organizations have become, NASA being another example I can think of. There have been several "accidents" in the past few decades concerning disease organisms, I hope that the public good is not swept under the rug for power, position and political points or simply the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing, because this is deadly serious stuff.

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Somebody left it there.thanks for posting

Really?

Aliens, aliens left it there.

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I am glad someone with some brains found it. You know how stupid people can get when digging threw old stuff (tossing stuff around and such). Could have potentially caused a breakout who knows.

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To the point that those over 50 had Smallpox vaccinations and would be immune, that is possible, but I would not want to rely on that. With many diseases you need booster injections over time to maintain immunity and it's been a long time since anyone was vaccinated for the disease.

True, but my chances are far better than the rest of the younger population.

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If it doesn't kill you, it'll make you stronger.

...except for a Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction).

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There's a gene mutation known as CCR5 delta 32 that's been known to resist the aids virus and it's believed to have mutated/come about from the bubonic plague. This may be the only hope for those of us who are not vaccinated from the small pox, should there ever be an outbreak in the future.

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There's a gene mutation known as CCR5 delta 32 that's been known to resist the aids virus and it's believed to have mutated/come about from the bubonic plague. This may be the only hope for those of us who are not vaccinated from the small pox, should there ever be an outbreak in the future.

What does anything you said have to do with smallpox?

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It is good to know that the government is tracking their infectious agents better then a corner dime store tracks their inventory. NOT!

I do believe that myself and many (most?) military individuals all got smallpox inoculations while in the service. I'd have to go check my military records to be sure though.

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What does anything you said have to do with smallpox?

It had to do with vaccinations, or lack there for of. Certain mutations can be beneficial to outbreaks we're not prepared for is all I was trying to say.

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There is careless, then there is friggin stupidity...Imagine leaving one of the most deadly scourges to mankind just lying around .... forgotten?!

As others have stated, whether the contents are still viable is another question, but with small pox you do not take any friggin chances!

This is a scary post, just from the many 'what ifs' could have resulted from the discovery.... close one fellow humans!

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Really a Cardboard box? Mind as well be under someone's bed.....

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One of these days their luck is going to run out and something like this will fall into someone's hands who doesn't have humanity's best at heart. The trouble with a massive secret infrastructure that protects viruses, technology, weapons, etc, is that if that infrastructre begins to decay, the security protocols develop leaks.

There is some really deadly stuff out there just waiting to be 'misplaced' and found by someone we don't want finding it. It scares the living heck out of me I don't mind saying.

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It had to do with vaccinations, or lack there for of. Certain mutations can be beneficial to outbreaks we're not prepared for is all I was trying to say.

I agree with you. Vaccinations are needed. Having said that I'll probably have all of the Autism groups on my butt.
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If I remember my history, the original vaccination involved giving a related, but rather innocuous, harmless virus (Cowpox) to volunteers, who then became immune to Smallpox. It was noticed that milkmaids who contracted Cowpox from cows had immunity to Smallpox.

I suppose this could be one way to inoculate people today if there is no more Smallpox vaccine and it were to escape a lab.

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MasqueOfTheRedDeath.jpg

Various forms of death stalking humanity. From Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe, starring Vincent Price.

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