Relax, the plague isn't what it used to be

UPDATE 2: The chief of the infectious diseases division of the department of internal medicine, was arrested late Wednesday on a complaint of making a false statement to a federal agent

UPDATE: They found the friggin' vials.

Plague samples were stolen from Texas Tech. It's also treatable with antibiotics. Presumably, TT knows the strain of plague and the best antibiotics to treat it. Although, if everything else is like their lax security, you never know. Wouldn't it have been Homeland Security's job to make sure that all such samples were locked up tight? Or, did they just release advisories, and it was up to places like TexasTech to determine the best way to secure their facilities.

While releasing this in the U.S. would have nothing near the impact of past instances of plague epidemics, if released in a third-world country without adequate stocks of antibiotics, this could have a far worse impact. Trying to infect farm animals would have an economic impact, but I don't think it would be devastating.

Supposedly 35 vials are missing. If a vial is the size of a small test tube, I guess that would about the size of a shoebox.

And, of course, there's always the possibility they're just missing and will turn up once the attic, the porch, the student's lockers, and the teacher's lounge has been searched.

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Terrorism · Wed, 01/15/2003 - 10:13 · · Importance: 1