Safer Smallpox Vaccines In Works

U.S. Preparing For Potential Bioterror Attack

By Justin Gillis
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, November 14, 2005; Page A01

New vaccine technologies are emerging that offer a fresh chance to devise a strategy against smallpox, the most fearsome potential weapon in the bioterror arsenal.

Two companies are reporting rapid progress in developing a new vaccine designed to be safer than the standard one, and a third company, with no government support, is developing yet another new vaccine. That vaccine could offer significant advantages if terrorists were to unleash the smallpox germ in several cities at once, requiring the vaccination of huge numbers of people.