Wednesday, 27 March 2013
The virus is also no longer needed for anti viral drug research and should be destroyed. There are two developed and tested drugs owned by the US and it is important to note that these drugs are used to treat only those that have already been exposed to the virus before vaccines are deployed. If the virus was to become airborne once more, there would most certainly be a death toll. Hammond states, 'As we and others have argued for years, from a public health perspective the risks of further animal model research outweigh the potential benefits and alternative animal models not using variola virus are more promising for evaluation and for obtaining regulatory approval of smallpox drugs.' This confirms that the virus is no longer needed for antiviral drug research and that there is a higher risk to public health in using it in this way.
The US and Russia have motives to keep the virus other than for research and human well being. Their methods are a smoke screen to enable the continued hold of the virus. It is thought that scientist have not being able to replicate the virus and therefore the threat of other samples does not exist, as far as we know. If this were a possibility in future years, consider the consequences and who would be the highest bidder if it were to get into the wrong hands. The risk out ways it's gain, surely. The countries should once again unite and eradicate the killer disease that took over 300 million lives in the twentieth century alone. In a matter of hours the disease can spread through the body destroying the internal systems. Britain was the first documented country to have used smallpox as a biological weapon, In 1763 we gave infected blankets and handkerchiefs from smallpox hospitals to native Americans and it worked, spreading and killing thousands of men, woman and children. These were only infected objects and the results were deadly.
The WHO have no motives other than the greater good and in their review of previous research undertaken, it concludes no purpose to keep the deadly virus. It does bring into question the use of the live virus by either country as a biological weapon. This is their motive or concern for contesting it's destruction. Simile to a game of chess, it is not known if there are more samples of the virus held by other countries or the extent of each countries developments or intentions with this stock. I do however know that the effects of this virus spreading would be devastating as it was in recent history. Worldwide, none of us are protected against smallpox and vaccinations could not be made quick enough to help the entire world. There is still no cure and scientists have failed when trying to replicate the live virus in monkeys. According to Hammond (2011),"Smallpox vaccines use various strains of vaccinia virus, and do not contain variola virus or need variola virus for manufacture." This is yet another reason that the deadly virus should be completely eradicated and the efforts of the WHO and the worldwide collaboration that was once made are again supported. We do not need to keep the evil threat to human kind to manufacture the vaccines against it.
Tuesday, 26 March 2013
The Debate
Last stocks of the variola (smallpox) virus still exist and are being held in The United States and Russia. The live virus stocks have been frozen and are held in secure laboratories by the two countries which helped to fund the World Health Organization's eradication programme, in 1967. Hammond and Ching (2011) give a detailed background on the last known stocks. It is obvious in this paper that neither country wishes to destroy the held virus, and is fueled by political security as oposed to public health. The risk is ultimately higher than the gain towards human life. Both countries do not wish to admit their true reasoning for not destroying the virus but it seems that their justifications for holding onto it have been exhausted. There is no need to hold this virus for animal model or research as a non-variola surrogate model can be used.Hammond, E and Ching Li, L. (2011) Smallpox Virus Stocks at the 64th WHA: Implementing the Conclusions of the Major Review. Switzerland: Third World Network.
Hammond, E and Ching, L (2011) Smallpox Virus Stocks at the 64th WHA: Implementing the Conclusions of the Major Review. Switzerland: Third World Network. [Online]. Available from:
http://twnside.org.sg/title2/briefing_papers/twn/Briefing_Smallpox_2011.pdf [Accessed 25th March 2012].
Smallpox - facts about the horrific disease
Causative agent – Variola major and variola minor
Type of microbe – Virus
Incubation period on average – 12 to 14 days, (not
contagious) other sources state 10-12 days.
Main transmission mode - HUMANS, face to face contact, infected bodily fluid,
contaminated objects.
Reservoir – humans are the only natural hosts of variola,
insects and animals are not known to transmit smallpox.
1.
Initial Symptoms (Prodrome ) Duration: 2 to 4
days- Sometimes contagious and includes fever, malaise, head and body aches, and
sometimes vomiting. The fever is usually high, in the range of 101 to 104 degrees
Fahrenheit.
2. Early
Rash (Duration: about 4 days) most contagious
3.
Pustular Rash(Duration: about 5 days) Contagious
4.
Pustules and Scabs (Duration: about 5 days)
5.
Contagious Resolving Scabs (Duration: about 6
days) Contagious
6.
Scabs resolved =Not contagious
- Thought to have originated as an animal virus, the first evidence in humans was the remains of Pharaoh Ramsey 5th that is thought to have died in 1157 BC by smallpox.
- Killed 300 million in the twentieth century alone.
- The World Health Organisation began a twelve year worldwide eradication program in 1967.
- 1977 was the last case of smallpox.
- 1980 the WHO reported that smallpox was eradicated.
Friday, 22 March 2013
Wednesday, 20 March 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)