Fighting smallpox

The week's news at a glance.

Washington, D.C.

The Bush administration this week ordered state health officials to prepare to vaccinate every American if terrorists attack with smallpox. Federal agencies sent the states a guide to inoculating 1 million people per state within 10 days of a biological attack. Smallpox was eradicated 20 years ago, but it could be a devastating biological weapon. The virus spreads quickly and kills a third of its victims. “We want to be able to vaccinate quickly,” said Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But one immunology expert warned that lining up and coordinating 1.3 million volunteers to do the vaccinations could turn into a “total nightmare.”

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us