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Subject: North Korean Weaponized Smallpox
Phoenix Rising    1/8/2002 12:20:07 PM
December 20, 2001; New intelligence, regarded as "irrefutable", has confirmed that North Korea does indeed have weaponized smallpox. (It was officially thought that only the US and Russia had "reference samples". It is also thought that Iran may have samples and could have worked on weaponizing them.) North Korea's Army is the only army in the world with mandatory smallpox vaccinations.--Stephen V Cole -------- It's sometimes kind of strange how 9/11 reorganized everyone's priorities; this probably would have been major news had it come out a few months ago, but I guess everyone's got bigger things to talk about now. I remember this was one of the issues that first led me to StrategyPage (NBC proliferation in general, not North Korea specifically). Times have changed, I guess. Anyway, on to my usual round of questions. How secure are North Korea's military facilities? Obviously, North Korea possessing these weapons at all is concerning, but the possibility of other groups (states or otherwise) getting their hands on weaponized smallpox is extremely unsettling, to say the least. Would Pyongyang be willing to sell such advanced technology? Also, once weapons-grade smallpox is produced, how complicated is it to move/store? That can't be the kind of thing you just put in a Thermos and throw in your luggage. Also, does anyone have any additional information on the sidenote that Iran has a similar program underway? How far along is that program? I've never understood North Korea, but then again, I can't exactly say I've been there. Still, they've got a fairly educated population, reasonable energy reserves (coal and hydroelectric power), coastline, and at least some physical infrastructure. With all that, they manage to produce widespread food shortages, a per-capita GDP of about $1000 (with the average civilian likely making substantially less) ... and nuclear and biological weapons. Oh well. I guess that's why they say that you see more of the real world by looking out your door than by looking in your textbook. --Phoenix Rising
 
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evlstu    RE:North Korean Weaponized Smallpox   1/8/2002 1:18:25 PM
North Korea's problems just go to show you how wonderfully efficient and effective socialism truely is.
 
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Jeff from Michigan    RE:North Korean Weaponized Smallpox   1/8/2002 8:52:16 PM
Given the state of mind of the North Korean leadership it is very likely that they would have sold the expertise to weaponize smallpox. The only constraint would be the fear of losing the current "aid/bribes" if they tried to sell it. The infrastructure is kaput in North Korea. Without the aid given by the Soviets and Chinese the autotarkic state is falling apart. The weapon stocks while still ample are aging and becoming less capable. I do not foresee a collapse ala the Iron Curtain but a slow gradual lapse into irrelevance. Dear Leader does appear to have a hold on the government now since he was able to take a leisurely trip to China and Russia. Time will tell.
 
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Moffmaster    RE:North Korean Weaponized Smallpox   3/18/2002 2:48:18 AM
Phoenix, Smallpox, while not terribly easy to produce (it is a virus and therefore needs to be grown on cell cultures) can be transported easily and remains active even after 2 days of exposure to air and sunlight. In controlled conditions (like said thermos) it will likely last at least a week. If frozen or otherwise conserved it would last years. Weaponized smallpox could be modified to delay visible outbreak of the disease. That way an infected person would continue to go to work usw and spread the disease. Historically people got ill before becoming infectious therefore limiting secondary infections to the household/hospital. My source : http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v281n22/ffull/jst90000.html (I can cut and paste) From all I know smallpox is much more dangerous than anthrax. Anthrax is actually more comparable to a chemical attack because it does not spread. Only technically produced spores (and a few who get the right size by chance) can cause the deadly lung anthrax. Smallpox on the other hand spreads uncontrolled and is very deadly. If American or Russian scientists (I don't think the N.Koreans are that far) developed a genemod variant of smallpox that is not targeted by Cowpox antibodies and these strains find their way into terrorist hands I'm really afraid. Moffmaster
 
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Animal13    RE:North Korean Weaponized Smallpox   2/7/2004 11:09:11 AM
Have to disagree with you there sport. I don't think you can compare anthrax to chemicals, anthrax is too persistent. It may not be contagious but it isn't chance that people get the right size inhaled, that can and is engineered. Like the latter anthrax letters, nice 1-5 micron sized particles with coatings to ensure they don't clump together. Remember the postal guy that reported to the hospital where the media said he was in "critical condition?" He was already a dead man - once you show up with symptoms, there is no treatment. 90 percent plus lethality, very hardy spores, kills within 2-5 days. Compare that to smallpox, 30 percent lethality, environmentally weak, can be treated after symptoms appear. The world has seen and survived smallpox epidemics. You don't get to survive anthrax unless you act within 24 hours after exposure. Anthrax is the mega-bomb of the BW arsenal, that's why everyone with a BW program gets that as soon as possible. And that's also why the military has a total force vaccination policy for anthrax and not smallpox.
 
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mother of a patriot    RE:North Korean Weaponized Smallpox   9/26/2004 3:19:14 PM
Effective this date, approx.1-15-02, outbreak of weaponized smallpox in USA. DOD epidemilogical personnel sent to Ft. Detrick; this event follows what appeared to be field test late spring 2001. ANY FEEDBACK would help.
 
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