Smallpox: a threat ?

SMALLPOX � PRELUDE TO ARMAGEDDON?

by
Stephen A Rinehart

Reference: www.rense.com/general12/pox.htm

Background:

In human history, viral epidemics have accounted for more human deaths than all known wars and famine combined. This is especially evident in the new world following the introduction of smallpox, measles, influenza, and mumps into the naive native American population from Europe. In Europe, these diseases had already established a childhood pattern of infection. Essentially all adult Europeans are literally the survivors of childhood infections with smallpox, plague and measles.

In 165 AD, Rome was ravaged by smallpox and tens of millions of people died. This wiped-out the Roman army leaving Rome open to invasion by barbarian hordes. In the Middle Ages, smallpox and the plague wiped-out untold millions (> 130 million) in Europe and Asia but leaving the survivors immune. It was not uncommon for victims of smallpox or some other plague to be catapulted over the walls of a city under siege in an attempt to start an epidemic within it.

From the time of the Spanish Conquests in North America in the 1500s it is estimated that more than 56 million native Indians died of smallpox, typhoid and other "European" diseases. Bubonic plague killed more than 137 million people in Europe over the centuries. In the Civil War, more than three times as many soldiers died of infectious diseases as were killed by all military actions (true of many wars throughout history). The worst outbreak in the US was Spanish Influenza which killed about 850,000 Americans from 1917-1919. It was passed from birds to pigs to humans as airborne pathogen (started at military bases). It disappeared as fast as it arose but we know about it from extracting genetic DNA from lung tissue of diseased soldiers preserved in formaldehyde. The last known case of smallpox was in 1949. The disease was declared eradicated in 1979 and all US vaccinations stopped.

Detention Centers: National Institutes of Health study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggests that the escalating rate of infectious disease can be combated if communities emulate some of the practices Boston used to defeat a smallpox epidemic in 1901. All Bostonians infected with smallpox were quarantined in designated facilities, while teams of police officers and doctors vaccinated all healthy people.

In the case of a major bio-attack and subsequent nationwide epidemic, the President could order all non-infected persons to report immediately to detention centers for "vaccine and their own protection" from a mass epidemic that can no longer be contained.

DoD Role

DoD is the only Government Agency which has the resources, knowledge, and expertise to develop a complete and coherent civilian biological weapons defense (BWD) but DoD has not been given the authority or funding to so by Congress. A systems approach is now needed which focuses on capabilities for warning, early detection, treatment, rapid response and decontamination, mass evacuations, quarantines, and forensics.

Precautions

The U.S. Navy's Bioterrorism Task force specifies the use of masks, gowns, gloves, with thorough washing after each exposure, and the isolation of smallpox patients, preferably in negative pressure rooms. Face masks must be worn when entering the patient�s room. Airborne precautions should be followed. Smallpox is transmitted by particles of five microns or less. They can remain suspended near the patient, or move considerable distances in air currents.

Contact precautions include use of clean gloves on entry into a patient's room, removing gown before leaving room, washing hands and exposed surfaces with anti-microbial soap, and air exchange every 6 to 12 hours through monitored high-efficiency filters.(10)

For prophylactic and post-exposure immunization, smallpox vaccine should be administered to everyone in contact with infected individuals. If more than three days have elapsed since exposure, smallpox vaccine should be administered in conjunction with vaccinia-immune globulin (VIG) ) (0.6l/kg 1M).(11) (this, of course, assumes that such supplies exist).

Exposed individuals should be on the alert for flue-like symptoms and rashes for 7 to 17 days after exposure. Isolating smallpox patients, individually or in groups, is essential.

Security Experts (July 2001) � Dark Winter

A chilling scenario of possible national collapse was presented Monday to US lawmakers by a group of prominent security experts, who warned that a biological terrorist attack on US soil could bring the country to the brink of disintegration.

The panel, which included former deputy secretary of defense John Hamre, Oklahoma governor Frank Keating and former senator Sam Nunn, presented their conclusions after holding a two-day exercise code-named "Dark Winter," which featured a computer-simulated bioterrorist attack on three US states. Members of the House Subcommittee on National Security closely listened as participants painted a picture of the world's most powerful nation descending into chaos in a matter of several weeks.

How many lawmakers really listened in July 2001 to the following presentation?

Hypothetical Smallpox Attack:

Two weeks (incubation period) after a smallpox bioattack on a hypothetical city, confusion reigns and there is a reluctance to diagnose it as smallpox even when it is suspected. Only CDC and Army�s USAMRIID labs are equipped to identify smallpox tissue samples. City Health Dept probably identifies it as "measles outbreak" It takes perhaps four weeks to identify the initial cases as smallpox and the Governor takes charge. The FBI moves in by third week to determine cause and origin. Coordination is a major problem, even though the FBI had some early intelligence of the terrorism attack, the alerting of health care workers was nonexistent. The problem lies in the fact, assesses a state health department official, that health departments have never been seen as intelligence communities, nor has there ever been a precedent for passing such information to them. Even though the FBI had some early intelligence of the attack, the alerting of health care workers was nonexistent. The problem lies in the fact, assesses a state health department official, that health departments have never been seen as intelligence communities, nor has there ever been a precedent for passing such information to them.

Panic starts as the media releases news of smallpox epidemic. People with stuffy noses overwhelm the emergency rooms of hospitals. Other reports, such as upcoming quarantine efforts, may also spread panic as they are leaked by media reports. Moreover, a basic problem in the early days of the epidemic is the need for an infrastructure to handle the large volume of calls flooding the hospitals and hundreds of people to administer vaccine become major logistics problems. It is unclear who has authority over the hospitals and what news is released to media.

As the epidemic grows and spreads to several states, friction between all the levels of government grows. Governors are demanding vaccine supplies, fueling a larger debate of how vaccination should be handled. Two months have passed and by the time President tells everyone the Government is doing all it can to control the outbreak but millions of Americans are already infected. Hundreds of thousands of people are vaccinated, but millions more still need vaccine. Media reports begin to be critical of the government's handling of the crisis and the public has created an all out run on antibiotics and vaccine and is screaming at its Representatives but nobody can reach them. Rumors abound of all types of bioterroist attacks on cities and CDC is overwhelmed with samples.

The vaccine campaign poses significant issues. The limited supply of vaccine must be divided up and distributed to the nation according to greatest risk persons who may have been infected or who care for those infected, argues an official in FEMA. Political leaders and essential city workers are other priority groups must be vaccinated. The smallpox has now spread to all states and in the US there is total economic chaos. People may no longer go to jobs, wear masks everywhere and some only go to stores for essentials after midnight. There are no more meetings or conventions � hotels and motels are only to house those quarantined. Airline flights and national travel have become nonexistent. The President orders all non-infected people to report to detention centers and declares martial law. Looting is becoming widespread in major cities as streets become dangerous from those who are dying and no longer care about anything. All the remaining population and businesses become targets and many are closed as the National Guard is mobilized and much of the remaining population is relocated to "camps".

Catastrophic Outcome

If the smallpox epidemic runs its course and is not contained at source, over 1/3 of the population (70 million+) of the US will be dead and another 30 million could suffer some form of blindness and scarring. The US and the world economies will have collapsed and food will be rapidly becoming scarce worldwide. War continues to rage in the Mid-East and smallpox, anthrax, plague, and different forms of hemorrhagic fever are spreading worldwide. Potentially 90% of the world�s population could be wiped-out due to the combined effects of war, mass starvation and biological attacks.

Emergency Planning Procedures

Experts agree, many of the problems in the epidemic can be avoided or controlled if extensive emergency plans exist. The panelist on Bioterrorism [speaking from a governor's perspective] identifies leadership as the most pressing void. Should the city have been placed under immediate quarantine? Should martial law have been implemented? Is the designation of a single smallpox hospital a reasonable thing for any city to do? Who coordinates the activities at the hospitals? What powers does the Federal Government have to force people to take vaccines or go to detention centers? Where do we go to get a vaccine? Who is training additional emergency responders? What does it take to expedite a suspect smallpox tissue sample? These are difficult questions to face in the wake of a disaster. Such issues must be addressed long before trouble strikes. Ask your County Commissioners what are the answers to these questions. Ask that Emergency Planning Procedures be published in newspapers and media. In a crisis, people of all disciplines must pull together.

In the Event of A Smallpox/Biological Epidemic

Minimize contact with people. Smallpox is an airborne pathogen and contact is possible within ten feet of a person. Use Lysol spray on packages and everything coming into home. Keep supply of face masks and Latex gloves on hand as well as Ziploc (airtight) bags for foodstuffs. Do not buy imported veggies or meats or frozen foods. Utilities could easily be disrupted. Add additional supplies of canned and pre-packaged foods and bottled water (and water purifier tablets), and shop possibly by email or later at night in stores but take extra security precautions (have somebody with you at all times and park close to store exit). Plant a garden, do not eat out, keep pets at home, and move to home-schooling kids. Be prepared to move to part of country where there is no epidemic. Suggest not going to any "detention centers" ever. The best antidote is go to a Jubilee Church early and often and recite the daily Rosary or your favorite prayers.