Smallpox and social workers?

[Syrinx]

I talked to someone I know tonight, who happens to be a social worker.
She said that she had been contacted by the state Department of Public
Health a couple weeks ago. The officials asked her if she would
participate in a training session related to bioterrorism. They told
her that they were contacting all social workers in the state licensed
at the master's degree level. She declined, citing prior committments.

She went on to inform me that she had been contacted again last night.
They wanted her to reconsider her decision. She didn't understand why
they needed people like her to deal with bioterrorism. They explained
to her that the training would revolve around the idea of a smallpox
outbreak, and that the role of social workers would be to gauge "individual
vulneralbility" and to "calm hysterical individuals." She also has been
informed that the pool of social workers for this project has been
enlarged to include those at the bachelors-level licensed sw's.

Has anyone else heard of anything like this?

[Cleita]

1. I heard once that small pox had been eliminated except

for a colony that was kept in some lab, maybe the CDC, because it was against their principles to kill off a species (???). Is it possible that the petrie dish got into the wrong hands, like our present government?

[Columbia]

3. The Russians

have cultures of smallpox too. There is a report that the Russian lab was compromised and the culture might have been stolen and given to Iraq.

[SheilaT]

2. She should tell them

to go fuck themselves.

The only reason to fear a smallpox outbreak is if our government decides to let the virus loose. She should stand firm and not let them intimidate her into anything.

[Syrinx]

4. Has anyone else heard of anything like this?

[cryofan]

5. I also heard that althought the Russian supply was taken by America

that there were rumors of a compromise of the russian supply