Smallpox could rise again, says bioterrorism expert Professor Raina MacIntyre
In an extract from her book Vaccine Nation, the respected epidemiologist says the virus is extremely contagious, highly airborne and could be synthesised.
My interest in smallpox started in 2006 when I was on a committee that had to plan for potential biological warfare or terrorism.
Bacteria and viruses that can be used as bioweapons are classified into three groups, with the highest risk group referred to as category A. This includes smallpox, anthrax, plague and Ebola.
When I studied bioweapons, I felt that smallpox — caused by the variola virus — was the most serious threat as it was highly contagious and killed one-third of the people who caught it.
It was a scourge on Earth for thousands of years, causing recurring epidemics and at least 500 million deaths.
