• Research Paper on:
    Smallpox Inoculations

    Number of Pages: 7

     

    Summary of the research paper:

    A 7 page argumentative paper in which the writer argues in favor of having the federal government make it possible for all Americans to be vaccinated against smallpox, as a protection against terrorist attack. 1 page outline. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

    Name of Research Paper File: D0_khsmpoxa.rtf

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    Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
    cases were occurring annually in over 30 locations worldwide (WHO). In each year, roughly 2 million people died and an additional 2 million were scarred for life or left blind  (WHO). Once smallpox has been contracted and a full-blown case is established there is no known treatment and it typically caused had a mortality rate of between 20 and 40  percent in unvaccinated individuals (WHO). When WHO announced in 1980 that smallpox had been successfully eradicated off the face of the earth, the world cheered (Pearsell, et al 36).  However, the specter of biological warfare has become a legitimate threat in the modern world. While other governments can be trusted to abide by international treaties and not use either  biological or nuclear weapons against other nations, as any rationale person realizes that this could mean the end of civilization, rather than the advancement of their national interests, terrorist behavior  often does not fit with normally understood concepts of rationality. Therefore, a case can be made that the federal government should make it possible that any U.S. citizen who  wishes to undergo vaccination against smallpox should have this opportunity. Background information Smallpox (variola major) is "the most feared of all Category A biologic agents" (Pearsell, et al 36).  Category A biologic agent are those that are easily disseminated among a population, as these agents are typically contagious, which makes person- to-person dissemination possible, as well as requiring the  presence of a "sophisticated public health structure" in order to be managed properly (Pearsell, et al 36). Due to this factor, category A biologic agents have the potential for causing  "mass casualties" (Pearsell, et al 36). Other category A agents include "anthrax, botulism, plague...tularemia and viral hemorrhagic fever" (Pearsell, et al 36). The smallpox virus exists today in only 

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