Smallpox revisited?
American Journal of Bioethics 3 (1):5 – 11 (2003)
Abstract
This article reviews the history of smallpox and ethical issues that arise with its threat as a biological weapon. Smallpox killed more people than any infectious disease in history-and perhaps three times more people in the 20th Century than were killed by all the wars of that period. Following a WHO-sponsored global vaccination campaign, smallpox was officially declared eradicated in 1980. It has since been revealed that the Soviet Union, until its fall in the early 1990s, manufactured tens of tons of smallpox for military purposes. A worry is that some of this may have fallen into the hands of "rogue" nations or terrorists. Current U.S. debate questions whether smallpox vaccine should therefore be made available to the American public, which-like the rest of the world-now lacks immunity. Because the vaccine is considerably dangerous, public dialogue cannot resolve this matter if evidence material to the likelihood of attack is classified (i.e. secret). I conclude by recommending numerous future areas for ethics research related to the weaponization of smallpox.Author's Profile
DOI
10.1162/152651603322781620
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Citations of this work
Ethical and philosophical consideration of the dual-use dilemma in the biological sciences.Seumas Miller & Michael J. Selgelid - 2007 - Science and Engineering Ethics 13 (4):523-580.
A tale of two studies: Ethics, bioterrorism, and the censorship of science.Michael J. Selgelid - 2007 - Hastings Center Report 37 (3):35-43.
Biodefense: Spend, But Spend Wisely.Shane K. Green & Karine Morin - 2005 - American Journal of Bioethics 5 (4):50-52.
Democratic Defense Spending in an Age of Bioterrorism.Michael J. Selgelid - 2005 - American Journal of Bioethics 5 (4):49-50.
References found in this work
Bioterrorism and smallpox planning: information and voluntary vaccination.M. J. Selgelid - 2004 - Journal of Medical Ethics 30 (6):558-560.
Exploitation and the ethics of clinical trials.David B. Resnik - 2002 - American Journal of Bioethics 2 (2):28 – 30.