Smallpox

[Darkangel]

Smallpox in Pakistan? Does anyone know if this has been confermed? Saw an article on Worldnet daily, on the back page like it was nothing.
thanks
DA

[Reasonable Rascal]

A Pakistani newspaper is not itself a reliable source. Does not meet the criteria for scientific method per se. Keep one thing in mind; those folks are looking at a possible nuke-fest over there and propaganda is going to be the name of the game.

I have heard back a bit ago from a new source there, another journalist, who confirmed a news report from April, 2001. Karachi Daily Star reportedly. Again, we are talking a "news" report, not a medical report. A case of smallpox in Gabon (?) last year by a local clinician was detetermined to be monkey pox. Off-hand I'd say that before Oct. last a large percentage of docs in this country could not properly ID the "pox" until it was full-blown. perhaps 95% (more?) have never seen a case anywhere at any time outside of a textbook.

For reference the current reported cases are located in the Hindu Kush between Mastuj and Dir on this map.

http://asiatravel.com/pakistan/gifs/map.gif

Also, Ken Alibek (former BioPreparat [sp?] Vice-Chief) has said the Ruskies came up with some very nasty variations including one they called "flat pox" because the lesions did not rise. They may also have succeeded in combining smallpox with ebola. it has come to be widely recognaized that they were many years ahead of us when it came to recombinant forms of bio-weapons.

RR

[Reasonable Rascal]

http://www.bodhgayanews.net/News2002/2002_06_05.htm

Three die from Smallpox fury in Barachatti Village
Barachatti 4 June, (Dainik Jagran).

In Patiauna village of Vinda Council in Barachatti block a dreadful outbreak of smallpox is raging. Due to the smallpox so far three children have died and about a dozen children are in its grip. So far in order to treat and cure the smallpox so far no steps have been taken by the medical department due to which the villagers are angry.

Gaya District Equality [Party] chairman Indradev
Pasvan has asked the DM to not delay in distributing appropriate medications to the effected children and asked for suitable measures to be taken for protection from this sickness, so that the remaining children may be saved. Mr Paswan said that if this sickness was not quickly brought under control then it might turn into an epidemic.
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Unconfirmed report Remember what I said about propaganda. We *may* be seeing he said/they said games here. Just another piece for the puzzle.

RR

[Reasonable Rascal]

Dear Dale Swanson,

You are correct. This news item was published in the said newspaper and I had personally read it and circulated the item. However, when I personally contacted the local health authorities, they neither confirmed nor denied the prevalence of small pox there. No further case of such vesicular disease was then reported from the area.

Kind regards,

Mir Atta M. Talpur


2002 06:16:18 -0700 (PDT)
Tue, 11 Jun 2002 08:16:16 -0500
Date: Tue, 11 Jun 2002 08:21:08 -0500

Subject: Your Kind Assistance, Please


I am seeking confirmation that the following story was published in the Daily Star in the month of April, 2001. This is of importance to a medical research paper.

Kind thanks,

Dale Swanson, EMT-PS

Source: Daily Star, Karachi
April 16, 2001

Smallpox Cases Suspected In A Village Near Tando Bago
The Daily Star - Karachi
4-15-1

TANDO BAGO - The deadly disease smallpox, according to medical science has long been eradicated from the world. The malady afflicting a 20-year old villager and his 4-year old nephew in Qasim Magrio, a village near Tando Bago town, seems to be [similar to] this disease. The disease afflicted them 2 weeks ago, [and they now have festering sores]. They have applied all sorts of ointments to the wounds, as prescribed by doctors, but in vain. They were taken to Taluka Hospital, Tando Bago, but the doctors could not diagnose the mysterious malady. Now the condition of the patients is getting worse. Dr Ali Ahmed Khatri the medical superintendent of Taluka Hospital, Tando Bago, talking to The Star said that although smallpox has long since been eradicated he could not rule out the possibility of its reappearance.
--------------------------------------------------
The most notable report I have found so far.

RR

[Reasonable Rascal]

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=27923

WHO probing smallpox claim

World Health Organization Suspects Pakistan Outbreak Chickenpox

Posted: June 11, 2002
5:00 p.m. Eastern

By Ron Strom
© 2002 WorldNetDaily.com

Officials from the World Health Organization are "on the ground" in Pakistan investigating a claim first reported in the Pakistan Dawn newspaper that an "epidemic" of smallpox is threatening the Swabi district of the country.

"There has not been a case of smallpox anywhere in the world since the late 1970s, and all rumors since then have been proved to be false," Iain Simpson, a spokesman for WHO, told WorldNetDaily.

"There have been several recent rumors from Central Asia and the Middle East. In all cases, it has turned out to be the result of poor translation. In each recent case, the disease was actually chickenpox. It is likely that this is again chickenpox in Pakistan, especially as the report itself comments that those infected are mainly children."

According to the June 9 Pakistan Dawn story, "a large number of children have suffered from smallpox, but the authorities concerned have failed to take any action to prevent this disease or immunize the people against it." The story adds, "A health official said that the dilemma of the people was that they were not aware of the danger aspects of this ailment as the children suffering from it have neither been kept in isolation nor properly treated."

While smallpox is a deadly disease, there is no mention in the story of any deaths attributed to the outbreak.

Added Simpson, "For the moment, we are investigating, but have so far received no information to indicate that this is in fact smallpox."

A spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control also was skeptical of an actual smallpox outbreak.

"There are so many poxes out there that are sometimes misdiagnosed," said the CDC's Llelwyn Grant. "It could be a number of things."

There also have been reports on the Internet recently about "smallpox" outbreaks in India. Peter Friedlander translates Indian news stories into English and says terminology can be a problem.

"The Hindi/Urdu term 'cecak' covers smallpox and anything that looks similar," he explained.

In recent months, the threat of a smallpox bioterror attack has raised new questions about who might have access to the virus and how it could be used as a deadly weapon against large population bases.

Terror experts have speculated on al-Qaida and other organizations' plans for bioterrorism and how deadly a smallpox attack would be. Pakistan is known to have pockets of al-Qaida operatives working within its borders.
--------------------------------------------------
Possible explanation, and on the surface even likely sounding when you consider the translation barrier . Time will tell.

RR

[Reasonable Rascal]

Recently, WorldNetDaily broke a story on how the Kremlin violated the INF Treaty by secretly inserting road-mobile SS-23 missiles into Eastern Europe. The Russians have also been detected violating the 1972 biological warfare treaty. In this context, Russian officials admitted a smallpox outbreak in Vladivostok last week when eight children came into contact with discarded smallpox ampoules.

World Net Daily. Monday, June 26, 2000

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=19838

[Reasonable Rascal]

SMALLPOX RUMORS - PAKISTAN: NOT
***************************************
A ProMED-mail post

Date: Thu, 13 Jun 2002 18:22:30 +0200
From: WHO Outbreak Response Team <outbreak@who.ch

Smallpox rumors - Pakistan: NOT
-----------------------
Rumours reported by the media of a cluster of smallpox cases in Swabi district, Pakistan have been investigated by a team from National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, health officials from the North West Frontier Province and WHO. All cases were children and showed typical features of chickenpox. No evidence of smallpox was found. Samples are being tested at NIH.

--
Outbreak Verification Team
Department of Communicable Disease
Surveillance and Response (CSR)
World Health Organization
Geneva
<outbreak@who.ch>

[Reasonable Rascal]

'Smallpox' in Pakistan Only Chickenpox
World Health Organization Confirms Disease Mislabeled

Posted: June 19, 2002
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Ron Strom
© 2002 WorldNetDaily.com

A reported outbreak of smallpox in the Swabi district of Pakistan has turned out to be nothing more than chickenpox, reports the World Health Organization.

The "epidemic" of deadly smallpox was first publicized in the Pakistan Dawn June 9. WorldNetDaily reported on the supposed outbreak after contacting officials from the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control.

WHO officials later reported that the organization had personnel "on the ground" in Pakistan investigating the claim. A subsequent e-mail to WND confirmed the suspicion that the outbreak was in fact chickenpox.

"There has not been a case of smallpox anywhere in the world since the late 1970s, and all rumors since then have been proved to be false," Iain Simpson, a spokesman for WHO, told WorldNetDaily before the organization's probe was completed.

"There have been several recent rumors from Central Asia and the Middle East. In all cases, it has turned out to be the result of poor translation. In each recent case, the disease was actually chickenpox."

In WHO's latest correspondence, Communications Officer Dick Thompson wrote: "Investigators on the
ground have confirmed this is an outbreak of chickenpox."

In recent months, the threat of a smallpox bioterror attack has raised new questions about who might have access to the virus and how it could be used as a deadly weapon against large population bases. The Centers for Disease Control last week wrapped up a series of public forums to discuss how the U.S. should use the smallpox vaccine "before and after a potential smallpox outbreak or bioterroist attack."

[Reasonable Rascal]

03.July.2002

ATTN: Dale Swanson

Dear Sir,

We have receive your last e-mail but as your report about small-pox disease we want to confirm it now days we receive phone from my home that my Dear Mother is ill therefor in first moment I went to my home in Faisal abad. She admit in hospital for 11 days and now thank GOD she is fine.

As my information it is true that some symptoms of small-pox find in swabi due to lack of medical
facilities in rural area but now Government cover it.there is no symptoms are found out the city of swabi.

Thank you with best regards,

your Sincerely,

Imtiaz Naqvi
--------------------------------------------------
This report is from a non-clinician source in Pakistan that I have corresponded with for the past 2 years. Though reliable he is nevertheless as noted a non-clinician and there is the language barrier problem. Farsi, the primary langauge there, does not contain different terms for smallpox, cowpox, or chickenpox.

There was also in June a report of a smallpox outbreak in northern India. There have been no follow-up reports that I have been able to locate, and again, the language barrier may be culpable for the identification of smallpox rather than chickenpox, etc. Only on-site confirmation can be considered to validate a claim when we face language barriers as illustrated.

Alas, like so many issues nowadays today's hot topics of interest to the medical community are tomorrow's old news, leaving us with only professional journals for follow-up reports in many cases. Needless to say they are not geared towards rapid news updates and months may elapse before we hear more.

RR