Smallpox vaccine works for monkeypox too!
"U.S. Health Official Is Optimistic on Containing
Monkeypox Virus"
New York Times (www.nytimes.com) (06/20/03) P. A21; Altman, Lawrence K.
According to Gerberding, at least 20 of those exposed to monkeypox
have been given smallpox vaccinations, since these can also protect
against monkeypox.
If you can't sell biowarfare.........sell monkeypox!
Monkeypox Vaccination Set to Start"
Chicago Tribune (www.chicagotribune.com) (06/22/03) P. 4
Illinois officials have introduced a voluntary smallpox vaccination
program for residents exposed to the monkeypox virus in the past two
weeks.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A21935-2003Sep16?language=printer
washingtonpost.com
GMU, GW in Patent, Ethics Dispute
AIDS Immunity From Smallpox Vaccine Suggested, Not Vetted
By Avram Goldstein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 17, 2003; Page B01 A small-scale study that suggests
people receiving smallpox vaccine might also gain immunity from HIV has
ignited an ethical tiff and a patent dispute between the two Washington
area universities that collaborated on the work.
http://www.broadsideonline.com/news/stories/2003-2004/100603/hivlink.shtml
HIV Link Found by University Scientists
By Erick Soricelli
The researchers warn the public not to jump to conclusions about their
findings; they have yet to prove whether or not a smallpox vaccine means
direct immunity for humans.
WHO begins stockpiling smallpox vaccine
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6844161/
Could take three years to build 200 million dose reserve
Updated: 2:30 p.m. ET Jan. 19, 2005
GENEVA - Work has started on building a 200 million-dose stockpile of
smallpox vaccines but it could take up to three years to complete, World
Health Organization (WHO) officials said on Wednesday. The Group of Seven
industrialized nations agreed last month to set up a global “vaccine
bank” in case of a germ attack by terrorists.
The WHO will double its emergency reserve of smallpox vaccines to 5
million doses, while individual member countries will assemble the rest.
“It is clear that we will have some stocks in a few months, but it would
take two to three years to set up the whole stockpile,” Daniel Lavanchy,
smallpox project leader at the WHO’s alert and response office, told
Reuters.
Smallpox, a highly contagious disease with no cure, was declared wiped
out in 1979. But there are fears militant groups, such as al Qaeda, could
get hold of the virus. Several hundred thousand doses, along with needles
for administering the vaccine, are expected to be delivered to the
Geneva-based WHO in the next few months.
“We are progressing,” Lavanchy said.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5933408/
Study: Diluted smallpox vaccine still effective
U.S. stockpile can be stretched if necessary, researchers say
Updated: 4:59 p.m. ET Sept. 7, 2004
Heavily diluted doses of existing smallpox vaccine remain effective,
which means the U.S. stockpile of the vaccine can be stretched if needed,
researchers said Tuesday. Smallpox is a highly contagious viral disease
that killed untold millions until it was officially eradicated in 1979,
but fears following the September 2001 attacks that it might be used as a
biological weapon sparked a U.S. effort to ensure there was enough
vaccine.
A large portion of the available smallpox vaccine in the United States
has been frozen since it was manufactured in the 1950s. The U.S.
government has contracted with Britain’s Acambis Plc to supply millions
more new doses. While vaccinations have not been recommended for the
general public due to potentially lethal side effects in rare cases, tens
of thousands of front-line military and health-care workers have been
vaccinated.
Study confirms previous research
In the study, published in this week’s Journal of the American Medical
Association, volunteers aged 18 to 32 were given one of three strengths
of smallpox vaccine. The weakest was diluted to one-tenth the original,
and nearly all developed a telling pustule at the inoculation site within
six to 11 days, indicating the dosage’s effectiveness.
The study confirmed previous research that showed diluted versions of the
vaccine were effective.
