Opinions - Should we destroy the last bit of the smallpox disease?

[Deus Ex]

Destroy it all, except for one vial. Have the CDC keep it in case of an outbreak.

[Ad Bot]

[Ningyou]

I have a scar from scratching when I had smallpox.

[Deathwish]

Even if it did escape from one of those biological research centers, it's unlikely that another vaccination programme couldn't beat it. After all, the reason the vaccines was so successful was that it was inexpensive, you only needed one dose per person, very stable and effective nearly 100% of the time, because Smallpox doesn't mutate very fast. The whole problem with infectious diseases these days is a double-edged blade, bacterial diseases are becoming increasingly difficult to thwart with resistances to most antibiotics popping up, and some species just mutate too fast to make a lasting vaccine for them. (loving histocompatability proteins)

[Trogtor]

Small pox was totally 200 years ago...

[Cybertails1998]

gah I had chicken pox last week

[DrenDran]

A few vials of it's genitic code kept in secure conditions won't threaten anyone.
I say it should be kept, for science.

[LegendZ]

Destroy every last trace of it.
It may be a disease that doesn't kill you, but it is generally annoying.

[DrenDran]

Destroy every last trace of it.
It may be a disease that doesn't kill you, but it is generally annoying.

You don't understand, the "last bit" is sealed in a vial in a labratory. Or such.

[LegendZ]

Oh. Well. Destroy it then.

[naturemon]

A few vials of it's genitic code kept in secure conditions won't threaten anyone.
I say it should be kept, for science.

This

[_Rave_]

Keep it, you guys are idiots.  It can be used to develop vaccines not only to small pox but also to any other strains of diseases that are similar to small pox.

[LegendZ]

Don't we already have chicken pox for that?

[Stocking]

I have a scar from scratching when I had smallpox.

That's chickenpox, the last case of smallpox was 30 years ago and the chick died from it.

[Jorici]

That's chickenpox, the last case of smallpox was 30 years ago and the chick died from it.

Nope.

There was a case a few years ago in like, Botswana, or something.

Correct me if I am wrong.

Anyways, smallpox isn't needed for a SMALLPOX vaccine. They use cowpox to prevent the smallpox virus, and it has worked since the 1770s.
You cannot use the argument that Smallpox could cure smallpox.

[Ningyou]

That's chickenpox, the last case of smallpox was 30 years ago and the chick died from it.

Oh wow, forget you Dutch dictionary.