Ready or not

摘要

We know they've got anthrax. But what else could bioterrorists have in store? Perhaps the greatest threat is smallpox, a disease officially eradicated in 1980 that can kill with chilling efficiency.rnUnlike anthrax, the Variola major virus that causes smallpox is contagious. It spreads through the air, killing 1 in 3 of the people it infects. That means a bioterrorist attack could become a worldwide epidemic. Older people vaccinated before the last jabs were given in 1972 might still have some immunity, but the rest of us are vulnerable.