Comments on: Eleventh Hour: Staying Safe From Scary Germs http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2008/11/07/eleventh-hour-staying-safe-from-scary-germs/ The science of futurist technologies—and an excuse to soak in sci-fi TV shows, books, movies, toys, and video games. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:57:34 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Josh Edmonds http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2008/11/07/eleventh-hour-staying-safe-from-scary-germs/comment-page-1/#comment-2035 Josh Edmonds Thu, 13 Nov 2008 22:59:00 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2008/11/07/eleventh-hour-staying-safe-from-scary-germs/#comment-2035 Glenn, I don't think the article 'scoffed' at smallpox. It simply highlighted the way smallpox was portrayed in this particular show. As you point out, infecting a large number of people with a pathogen with 100% mortality would be a disaster, but it wouldn't be an epidemic if those people could be effectively quarantined to reduce transmission. Glenn, I don’t think the article ’scoffed’ at smallpox. It simply highlighted the way smallpox was portrayed in this particular show. As you point out, infecting a large number of people with a pathogen with 100% mortality would be a disaster, but it wouldn’t be an epidemic if those people could be effectively quarantined to reduce transmission.

]]> By: glenn lockwood http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2008/11/07/eleventh-hour-staying-safe-from-scary-germs/comment-page-1/#comment-1859 glenn lockwood Sun, 09 Nov 2008 03:37:46 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2008/11/07/eleventh-hour-staying-safe-from-scary-germs/#comment-1859 You should dig alittle deeper before scoffing at smallpox. It is a serious threat. The show depicted the consequences of two intial infections that were contained. Smallpox that would be used by terrorists is the weaponized hemorrhagic form which is 100% fatal. The virus can readily be dessicated into a powder form and released as an aerosol. Such a release at say, a nascar race would be a disaster of epic proportions. http://www.stanford.edu/group/sjir/3.2.02_ajayi.html You should dig alittle deeper before scoffing at smallpox. It is a serious threat. The show depicted the consequences of two intial infections that were contained. Smallpox that would be used by terrorists is the weaponized hemorrhagic form which is 100% fatal. The virus can readily be dessicated into a powder form and released as an aerosol. Such a release at say, a nascar race would be a disaster of epic proportions.

http://www.stanford.edu/group/sjir/3.2.02_ajayi.html

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