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The Pros And Cons Of Smallpox

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Smallpox is among the most feared diseases around the world; it is an infectious disease spread through transmission of the valiola vera virus. In its 12,000 years of recorded history, it has been responsible for more human deaths than any other disease and in the 20th century alone, an estimation of 300-500 million people died from the virus (Oddee, 2007). In the present day, there are no uncontained samples of smallpox, with the only two known remaining specimens of various strains held in high security laboratories in Russia and America (Williams, 2014). There is much debate whether or not the samples should be stored for future use, or whether it should be completely eradicated to minimize immediate risk. In this investigation, the ethical …show more content…

It is of one view that simply by containing the virus, there is a risk that the samples could be reintroduced unto the population of the world. Release could be accidental or an act of bioterrorism or warfare, and the only way to be sure that the samples will not be used for destructive purposes is to terminate them. In one poll however, it was found only 14.2% of the general public wanted the virus destroyed immediately, 16.3% wanted the virus to be destroyed at some point in the future, and that 71.4% thought that the virus should not be destroyed at all (Racaniello, …show more content…

This means that scientists could still conduct experiments in regards to smallpox vaccination and treatment without the current living samples. At the same time however, this means that anybody with sufficient materials and knowledge could potentially make the smallpox virus through use of the publicly available genomes, which leaves the general public equally endangered from synthesised strains of the virus (Randerson, 2006). So even if the official samples of smallpox were discontinued, it would not necessarily ensure safety from the

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