Ok a small part of me is a conspiracy theorist but

[CerridwenLorelei]

the other day when they were talking about the prairie dog having monkeypox "there have been no known cases until now of animal to human transmission"" My FIRST thought was " yeah right I bet I could tell you why though everyone would say I was nuts"
and when SARS hit I thought that was a bit "too convenient" but the more I hear/see/feel the more I wonder am I just nuts or could some of it truly be.......
As the daughter of a whistleblower I know that people will go to great lengths to get their mission accomplished no matter what ...

and the thing about the natural gas... UMM Hello instead of talking about finding more from other countries how bout you ( the gov etc) start using other NATURAL things like oh I dunno solar power???
It will be some years before dh and I get one but I soo look forward to when we can get our solar panel....ot there..

[Marlena]

New infectious diseases obviously do pop up from time to time. I doubt either had to do with any intentional act to start an outbreak.

However, I must confess to thinking, when I saw that smallpox vaccinations would be offered to those who fear that they might've been exposed to monkeypox and to health workers, that perhaps this was a new lame-@ss attempt of the Bush administration to jump start its abysmal failure of a misconceived smallpox vaccination program.

Check it out:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/12/national/12POX.html

The federal government recommended smallpox vaccinations yesterday for all those exposed to monkeypox, including pregnant women and children.

*snip*

Because the Food and Drug Administration has not approved the smallpox vaccine for monkeypox, the government is making it available under provisions for emergency use. The decision to use it will depend on discussions between patients, doctors and local health officials. All patients receiving the vaccine will be required to sign a form stating that they have been informed of the immunization's benefits and risks.

Monkeypox is fatal in up to 10 percent of cases, much lower than the 30 percent figure for smallpox before it was eradicated worldwide in 1980.

[Els' 3 Ones]

Me too, Marlena. I'm sitting here smack in the middle of this outbreak (many animals came from a nearby suburb) and the news is nonstop. Yet, no one has questioned the efficacy of a smallpox vax for a monkeypox virus...................I guess many are willing guinea pigs.


El