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 Smallpox Vaccination


Only a few years ago, the World Health Organization declared that smallpox had been eliminated from the Earth and was no longer a threat to human health. Today, however, many public health authorities worry that smallpox may be used as a weapon of terrorism. To protect against this form of bio-terrorism, government agencies are now working on plans to vaccinate all Americans against the disease, as was one the common practice (see photo). Does mass vaccination make sense in this day and age?

Use the pull-down menu at the right to jump to any of the "Issues" or "Technology & Society" Features in the Dragonfly Book:


Click for a copy of this Issues Page from the Dragonfly Book.

Texas Links:

Bioterrorism Page
(Texas Department of Health)

Smallpox - Fighting Fear with Facts (from the UT Health Science Center in Houston)


Web Resources on Smallpox Vaccination:

Centers for Disease Control - Smallpox Information Page Detailed public information about smallpox and the vaccination program.

Protecting Americans Against Smallpox - a page from the White House describing the President's vaccination initiative against smallpox.

Vaccination: Balancing the risks and benefits - An article from an on-line newspaper for physicians describing both sides of the issue.

Risks and Benefits of Vaccination - A page from the WebMD web site listing several discussions of the risks and benfits of mass vaccination against smallpox.

Center for Civilian Biodefense - An index to several pages of smallpox-related information at the Biodefense think tank of Johns Hopkins University.

Bioterrorism Information - An excellent resource page from the UCLA School of Public Health.

The Eradication of Smallpox It's easy to forget, given today's concerns about Bioterrorism, that only a few years ago the world medical community was celebrating the eradication of smallpox. This web page, from the World Health Organization, describes these successful efforts.

The first smallpox vaccination The story of Edward Jenner and the first vaccination against smallpox.

Smallpox.gov - The name speaks for itself. The smallpox information page of the US Department of Health and Human Services.

 

millerandlevine.com

(A web site developed by Ken Miller and Joe Levine to provide scientific and education support for teachers and students using our textbooks)