Bill Stewart wrote:
This is especially bogus for smallpox, because (as Jenner discovered), cowpox is usable as a vaccine against smallpox, so keeping that should be good enough, though the smallpox-based vaccines are more convenient.
I would not count on the 18th century cowpox/smallpox coupling to be valid today - viruses evolve, and that's not counting deliberate manipulations intended to produce more virulent strains. Bottom line is: so long as anybody has this stuff in stock it is criminal not to make the vaccine available, and I applaud efforts to obtain some level of immunity. There is of course a risk of adverse reactions from vaccinations, but as I understand it nobody who has been vaccinated without trouble in the past should expect any from future boosters or revaccination - the only risk is in initial vaccination, so we oldtimers who traveled before the WHO declaration of victory have nothing to lose by revaccination. Each of us has the right to weigh for himself the risk of being vaccinated versus the risk of being accidentally or deliberately infected with the allegedly eradicated disease. Best to all, Marc de Piolenc PS. The biotech lists are full of stuff that might lead to the capability of producing effective vaccines without having stocks of the virus - something about cell-membrane proteins. Unfortunately my background is not adequate for understanding this material; perhaps somebody else on the list has the right PhD?