Word: viruses
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...member governments seek to uncover whatever illicit weapons programs Iraq might have, few tasks are as urgent as determining whether Baghdad has obtained the smallpox virus. The only declared reserves of the 120 known strains of smallpox are in two labs, in the U.S. and Russia, but fears that Iraq may possess the virus have lately come to a head...
...course, none of this proves Saddam does not have the smallpox virus--and there's some evidence he does. Eight of 69 Iraqi POWs screened during the Gulf War were immune to smallpox. Since the vaccine works for only four to five years, this suggests they had been inoculated relatively recently--perhaps as protection from their own biological weapons. There's more: U.N. inspectors who toured Iraq's illegal weapons sites in 1995 stumbled upon a freeze dryer candidly labeled SMALLPOX...
...Unlike many other vaccines, smallpox contains live virus. A doctor or nurse takes a pronged instrument, dips it into the virus and gives the patient several pricks, usually on the upper arm, with the contaminated prongs. The result is a circular sore, which initially becomes filled with pus and eventually drains and scabs over. Within two weeks, the sore is gone and only a small scar remains. During the time that the sore is infected, the patient is contagious to others and should keep the vaccination site covered. Some people will experience soreness, fever, head and body aches after...
...Because the vaccine is made up of the live smallpox virus, it can be extremely dangerous to people whose bodies are not capable of fighting off disease. As many as 60 million Americans with compromised immune systems will not receive the vaccine. People with AIDS, HIV, cancer, who have had organ transplants or a history of eczema could suffer extremely serious side effects from exposure to the virus, including death. Pregnant women and women who are breastfeeding should also not receive the vaccine...
...vaccine is not believed to last more than 5 or 10 years, so if you were given a vaccination in 1965, you're no longer protected against the virus. There is good news for those who've previously been vaccinated: If you didn't experience an adverse reaction to the vaccine the first time, it's very unlikely you'll develop one this time around...