George VI
Member
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2009
- Messages
- 146
- Reaction score
- 22
- Location
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Very Conservative
Smallpox was declared eradicated in 1979, although there have been a few cases of smallpox since then, due to mishaps caused by the samples being kept for scientific purposes, there has been no widespread return of smallpox since 1979, and frankly, no one has ever heard of it since it's eradication.
Smallpox samples are being kept by both the USA, and Russia for scientific purposes, and possibly some other European Countries, too. It has the potential, if captured by 'terrorists' to be used as an effective biological weapon, although a lot of people in the previous generation have been vaccinated, my generation, those born mid-80s and beyond, haven't been vaccinated, so we are at great risk.
The question is simple - Should we keep smallpox samples, for 'scientific purposes', even if they are stored in secure locations, away from every threat possible?
Personally, I don't believe we should keep smallpox for whatever reasons, why should we keep a disease that killed 500 million people in the 20th century, and going back further in time, possible 1 billion + people?
Sure, if smallpox, in another form was to breakout, we can still respond. If we eradicated smallpox in the 70s, then it's all the possible we can in say, the 2040s.
No point keeping such a deadly disease, in my opinion.
Just kinda worried about the swine flu, lol xD
Smallpox samples are being kept by both the USA, and Russia for scientific purposes, and possibly some other European Countries, too. It has the potential, if captured by 'terrorists' to be used as an effective biological weapon, although a lot of people in the previous generation have been vaccinated, my generation, those born mid-80s and beyond, haven't been vaccinated, so we are at great risk.
The question is simple - Should we keep smallpox samples, for 'scientific purposes', even if they are stored in secure locations, away from every threat possible?
Personally, I don't believe we should keep smallpox for whatever reasons, why should we keep a disease that killed 500 million people in the 20th century, and going back further in time, possible 1 billion + people?
Sure, if smallpox, in another form was to breakout, we can still respond. If we eradicated smallpox in the 70s, then it's all the possible we can in say, the 2040s.
No point keeping such a deadly disease, in my opinion.
Just kinda worried about the swine flu, lol xD