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May 17, 2002
"Health Officials See ER Episode as Way to Tout Biodefense" Arkansas Democrat Gazette (www.ardemgaz.com) (05/16/02) P. B4; Yee, Daniel
Some health organizations, in hopes of educating the American public about the risks of smallpox, sent "ER," the NBC television hospital drama, information about the disease for Thursday's airing of an episode about an outbreak in the Chicago area. Health specialists want to make sure that Americans understand that smallpox has been eradicated as a disease plaguing the world, and that the only way it could be reintroduced is through a terrorist attack. Only two countries--Russia and the United States--retained vials of the disease when it was officially declared to be eliminated as a threat in 1980, but since then, revelations have been made that the former Soviet Union had experimented with the deadly virus for use in bombs. Now, many experts believe that other countries may have access to the virus. Meanwhile, health officials are planning ways to control a possible outbreak, possibly through "ring vaccination," in which infected people are treated, along with their contacts and their contacts' contacts. Also, the amount of smallpox vaccines available in the country is being increased, and doctors are being trained to detect the disease's symptoms.
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