Engineered Virus Related to Smallpox Evades Vaccine

[radfringe]

Engineered Virus Related to Smallpox Evades Vaccine

By Rick Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, November 1, 2003; Page A01

Scientists in St. Louis have created a genetically altered strain of mousepox virus -- a close relative of the smallpox virus -- that is so potent it kills mice vaccinated against the mouse disease, rekindling concerns that some avenues of biotechnology research may be generating lethal knowledge useful to bioterrorists.

Health officials emphasized that the federally financed work posed no threat to people. Although the mousepox virus is highly contagious and lethal in mice, it does not cause illness in humans.

But given the similarities between the mousepox and smallpox viruses, scientists said, the same technique might be useful for making a beefed-up strain of smallpox virus that could kill people despite their having been vaccinated.

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Baghdad-Bush's numbers - average of 6 polls for October

favorability: Favorable=53% Unfavorable=36%
Job approval: Approve=52% Disapprove=40%

no significant gain or losses from September's averages - hence the booga-booga story above.

if numbers drop or do not show any significant gains - most likely a Bin-Laden tape will be released... A Saddam tape won't appear because this will focus attention on Iraq, or as the Daily Show calls it Mess 'O Potamia

[SaintLouisBlues]

1. Here's the link from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

http://tinyurl.com/t8o7

Sounds more like anti-science fear mongering than anything
else.

[DuctapeFatwa]

2. Here's a link with more info

...And advanced forms of biological warfare
that can "target" specific genotypes may
transform biological warfare from the realm
of terror to a politically useful tool....


http://www.newamericancentury.org/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf

[rfranklin]

3. Please protect us, O Mighty Boosh!

Dem terrists has me too skeered!

[tsipple]

4. No Offense, St. Louis...

...But the biggest national security threat from there is bad beer. :-)

[bobthedrummer]

5. Here is some info on the researcher Mark Buller and SLU's bio program

http://www.slu.edu/readstory/newsinfo/3046

[DiverDave]

6. Old news, Read "The Demon

in the freezer"

http://tinyurl.com/t9ny

It will scare the bejesus outta you.
The government doesn't give two shits for anybody.
They need to get the vaccine into the population BEFORE an outbreak...

If an outbreak occurs, just bend over and kiss your ass goodbye.

[frustrated_lefty]

7. Excellent read!

Thanks for the link, DiverDave, that was informative and good story telling to boot. One thing I am curious about (about 80% down the article):

"At a large gathering that evening, three inspectors -- David Kelly, Frank Malinoski, and Christopher Davis -- publicly confronted the head of Vector, a virologist named Lev Sandakhchiev, about Vector's smallpox."

Is that the same David Kelly who recently died in Britain? If so, the Blair team trying to paint him as a man of little consequence is an affront and should be a source of national embarrasment.

[frustrated_lefty]

8. kick

Is this the same David Kelly?

[arikara]

9. Yes it is the same Dr David Kelly.

Another microbiologist who met a suspicious end. Read this:

http://www.americanfreepress.net/07_25_03/WMD_Authority/wmd_authority.html