Anticipating smallpox as a bioterrorist weapon
Philip P Mortimer
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7861/clinmedicine.3-3-255
Clin Med May 2003 Philip P Mortimer
Virus Reference Division, Central Public Health Laboratory

Abstract
The treat of bioterrorism means it is important to be able to diagnose smallpox. The responsibility for the initial recognition of cases lies with clinicians, and early diagnosis is the key to the successful control of an outbreak. Unless rapidly contained, a bioterrorist release of smallpox would constitute not just a national but a global threat to health. This brief review sets smallpox in its modern context as an infection potentially spread by bioterrorists and recommends sources of information from the twentieth century that will assist clinicians in diagnosing the disease.
- anti-vaccinal immunoglobulin
- antivirals
- cell-cultured vaccine
- differential diagnosis
- laboratory diagnosis
- lymph vaccine
- patient isolation
- ring vaccination
- smallpox
- vaccination
- © 2003 Royal College of Physicians
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Anticipating smallpox as a bioterrorist weapon
Philip P Mortimer
Clinical Medicine May 2003, 3 (3) 255-259; DOI: 10.7861/clinmedicine.3-3-255
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