Smallpox: The Fight to Eradicate a Global Scourge

Though smallpox was eradicated from the planet two decades ago, recent terrorist acts have raised the horrific possibility that rogue states, laboratories or terrorist groups are in possession of secret stockpiles of the virus that causes the disease, and may be preparing to unleash it on target populations. Because it is a far deadlier killer than other biological warfare agents such as anthrax, and because the universal vaccination against smallpox was halted decades ago, a smallpox attack today would be nothing short of catastrophic. This clear study looks at the long and fascinating history of the virus, with an informative overview of the political, biological, environmental, medical and legal issues surrounding the question of whether or not the virus should be exterminated.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Introduction 1. The Rise and Fall of Smallpox 2. The Biology of Viruses 3. Smallpox as a Biological Weapon 4. Environmental Law and Policy 5. The World Health Organization 6. The Morality of Extinction 7. The Case for Extermination 8. The Case against Extermination 9. Conclusions and Recommendations Notes Select Bibliography Index

About the Author :
David Koplow is Professor of Law at Georgetown University. From 1997 to 1999 he served as Deputy General Counsel for International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Defense, where he was the Pentagon's senior legal advisor on biological warfare issues, including smallpox. He has published extensively on arms control and national security matters, and is the author of By Fire and Ice: Dismantling Chemical Weapons While Preserving the Environment (1997) and Testing a Nuclear Test Ban (1996).

Review :
"David Koplow gathers, organizes, and lucidly presents the large body of material from a wide range of disciplines, which bears on the important public policy question whether or not to destroy existing stocks of variola. Engagingly written and accessible to a wide audience, this book will provide both policy makers and citizens with the basic information they need to reach informed and thoughtful judgments on this urgent issue."-John S. Applegate, author of The Regulation of Toxic Substances and Hazardous Wastes "David Koplow's book is an important work on a crucial subject. The author brings together an extraordinary amount of information on a vital policy issue. There is nothing available that treats the issue of smallpox with any comparable degree of completeness. Koplow marshals sources from myriad disciplines in a coherent, well-rounded discussion providing a service to the casual as well as the sophisticated reader. This book is a one-stop reference, containing virtually all the information an analyst needs to know."-Barry Kellman, Director of the International Weapons Control Center, DePaul University College of Law