Judd Gregg: “with a mortality rate of over 30 percent, smallpox was one of the world's most feared diseases until a collaborative…”

“with a mortality rate of over 30 percent, smallpox was one of the world's most feared diseases until a collaborative global vaccination program eradicated the disease in the 1970s. Smallpox no longer occurs naturally, and today can only be found in laboratories in the United States and Russia. Or so we believe. With the fall of the Soviet Union, some in the intelligence community are concerned that samples of the virus may have found its way to other countries, including Iraq. This is of grave concern to our Nation and the entire global community. Highly contagious and easily dispersed in the air, smallpox virus can be a deadly weapon in terrorist hands. Congress and the administration have responded to this potential threat by authorizing the purchase of approximately 300 million doses of smallpox vaccine, enough for every man, woman, and child in America. Equally important, the administration developed a plan to respond in the event of an outbreak of the disease. Since the administration launched its smallpox vaccination plan on January 24, 2003, over 30,000 health care workers have been inoculated. To adequately prepare our Nation for the possibility of such an attack, however, more health care providers must be immunized. Additionally, it is critical that we begin vaccinating other emergency personnel, such as law enforcement officers, firefighters, and paramedics.”