With reports of anthrax sent through the mail service to unsuspecting Americans since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, bio-terriosm has become a very real threat. But, scientists say, anthrax is far from the most lethal of the bio-terrorist agents. Smallpox, another possible threat, killed at least 300 million people in the twentieth century before its eradication.
“It is all a bunch of ifs,” said Dr. Fred Romm, associate professor of family and community medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. “Smallpox is a theoretical concern.”
The World Health Organization eradicated smallpox in 1979, and today the only two official remaining strains are at the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia and the State Research Institute of Virology and Biotechnology just outside Novosibirsk, Siberia.
But some worry smallpox strains may still unofficially exist in other labs around the globe and could get into the wrong hands.
Smallpox begins with severe flu-like symptoms, high fever, backaches, tiredness and vomiting. Red spots appear on the body, which eventually turn into blisters or pustules. Those pustules can erupt or split, which is very painful. Death occurs in about 30 percent of people infected with the disease.
One concern is that because many practicing physicians have not handled the disease, it could be misdiagnosed as chicken pox or the measles.
“Part of the problem is that [smallpox] hasn’t been seen in this country in over 50 years.” Romm said.
A misdiagnosed case could be devastating if the disease was transferred to a larger population.
There is a small amount of the vaccine available should a smallpox threat materialize. The Center for Disease Control maintains an emergency supply of vaccine that can be released if necessary.
“[We] are not expecting a smallpox attack,” the CDC said in a statement. “But the recent events that include the use of biological agents as weapons have heightened our awareness of the possibility of such an attack.”
The government has been taking precautions of late. Realizing there are not enough vaccines available in case of a major epidemic, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has commissioned drug companies to start producing large amounts of the vaccine.
As of now there is not enough vaccine to inoculate the entire population, and making it takes time.
“When the supply is available that would prevent the spread,” Romm said. “But until then the population is susceptible to the disease.”
If a smallpox outbreak did occur, it would likely be dealt with a search-and-vaccinate method. The cause of the outbreak would be isolated, as would everyone who came in contact with it, who would then be vaccinated to stop the spread
But scientists say these are only theoretical possibilities. Officials are concentrating mostly on the anthrax threat right now, since it is much easier to obtain than smallpox.
President Bush allocated $1.5 billion to HHS to strengthen the country’s ability to prevent and react to possible bio-terrorism acts.
