Smallpox and biological warfare: a disease revisited

Stefan Riedel, MD, PhD

This is the second article in a series of papers addressing issues related to biological warfare and bioterrorism. As outlined in the historical review of biological warfare, smallpox is one of the most devastating diseases that could potentially be used as a biological weapon. In fact, smallpox was for many centuries devastating to mankind. However, the remarkable efforts of the World Health Organization led to its eradication in 1977. With the developments in more recent years, the threat of biological and chemical warfare has reemerged. In particular, the events surrounding the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, as well as the recent developments in Afghanistan and the Middle East, have shown that the threat of biological weapons is real and present in today's time. In this article, I outline the epidemiology, microbiology, and clinical features of a disease not known to many people in the 21st century.