From the July 2003 Idaho Observer:

Smallpox Vaccine Program Wasted Billions of $$$

Unused vaccines to be thrown away

In the wake of recent news that there was no credible evidence of Iraq hoarding weapons of mass destruction, there is a deafening silence regarding our nation's smallpox plan and the lack of justification for the purchase of 300 million doses of smallpox vaccine.

Almost two years have passed since the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and we still do not have answers to some very pertinent questions, like “whodunnit” -- apparently due to both Attorney General Ashcroft and Defense Secretary Rumsfield's lack of cooperation in the ongoing 9/11 investigations.

by The Idaho Observer

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's July 4, 2003 article “Lots of smallpox vaccine will be thrown away”, California, Illinois, Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania combined received 53,800 smallpox vaccines for healthcare workers but only used 5,041 doses. The CDC shipped out 300,000 smallpox vaccines to local health departments throughout the country but only 40,000 doses were actually used.

Dr. Linda Rosenstock, the dean of public health at UCLA in California claimed that the wasted doses aren't the only waste associated with the smallpox vaccination campaign. She claimed that the biggest waste was the amount of attention, funding and human resources dedicated to the Bush Administration's smallpox plan and argued that government secrecy undercut the vaccination campaign.

“Medical professionals ... are used to trying to get a sense of what's the risk, what intervention are you proposing and what are its benefits and risks, and then making a judgment,” she said.

“I do think that, at the beginning, we were supposed to just take the (Bush) administration's word that this was a serious risk.”

This same article claims that the unused vaccine doesn't raise much of a concern over the cost of implementing this failed smallpox vaccine plan. This one article should send a red flag to every American that our public healthcare system needs a big overhaul. How many millions, if not billions, of taxpayer dollars were wasted when there was never even the slightest “threat” of a true smallpox outbreak?

Where are the checks and balances on public health in this country? Idaho State Senator Shawn Keough admitted that Idaho's Smallpox Plan was implemented without legislative oversight.

You can view 34 pages of Idaho's Post Event Smallpox Plan at www.vaclib.org/links/posteventindex.htm.

Although most states did not allow the public to view their state's smallpox plan, Idaho's plan is representative of the model plan the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encouraged all 50 states to adopt. Who is going to be held liable for the irresponsible, corporate-induced, “new world order” decisions currently being made with our tax dollars under the guise of public health?

The Model State Emergency Health Powers Act that was sent to all 50 state governors November 1, 2001 was passed in less than half of the 50 states, so the Bush Administration in conjunction with the CDC decided to push their agenda by sending all 50 states a model post-event smallpox plan on Sept. 14, 2002. All state public health departments were required to respond with their state's plan by December 1, 2002. The carrot was, that there would be no cost incurred by the state if they submitted a plan satisfying certain federal guidelines.

Now that the Bush Administration's warmongering cat is out of the bag, it is important that we demand accountability for their abuse of the public trust, especially with regards to this failed smallpox plan. If you still believe we are a nation of laws and justice, call your congressmen both locally and nationally and demand an investigation into this smallpox scandal.

This important article also revealed that the CDC is not tracking the number of prepared doses of vaccine and comparing them with the number used. This is another red flag of the CDC covering up the fact that this failed plan cost billions$$$. And this is far from over. The CDC's senior advisor to the terrorism program, Donna Knutson, claims that health departments nationwide have developed plans and capabilities to handle mass vaccinations, should the need arise.

“There's enough doses out there that they can be administered quickly if there's an outbreak,”

Knutson said. “Preparedness means more than just having a shot in the arm - it can also mean the vaccine is closer to the arm.”

And with the recent scares of SARS and West Nile Virus (WNV), and the CDC having the only laboratory in the country that can positively identify smallpox, WNV, and now SARS, the threat of forced vaccinations is not over. According to Idaho's post-event smallpox plan, one single case of smallpox confirmed by the CDC in this state can implement the plan for mass inoculations.

A big thank you is due to every activist who shared vital smallpox information within their communities. If it weren't for YOU, this plan may have gone off and we would ALL be singing a different tune. It is still imperative that we remain ever vigilant and continue to share relatively unknown vaccine history and vaccine dangers within our communities.