If someone wanted bubonic or pnuemonic samples, all he'd have to do is just grab someone from the western hospitals that contract it each year.
Contrary to popular belief, it still exists, but we have effective treatments against it. (Although when I was in China, there were cities in southern Xinjiang that had a bad bubonic problem and had to be shut from the outside world. Much worse was the HepA epidemic that hit Shanghai at the time...stores and schools were oncverted into Hep wards, and you could go there provided you brought your own bed.)
-TD
From: Declan McCullagh <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: The Plague
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 18:59:42 -0500
from today's white house briefing...
Q And if I can ask you one final question -- what can you tell us about
the Texas Tech problem, bubonic plague samples apparently missing from a lab
there?
MR. FLEISCHER: I'm aware of the report, and this is a matter that the FBI
and the CDC have been in touch with Texas Tech about. And anything further will
come from them. That's the extent of everything I have on this now.
Q They're saying that the White House has been briefed on this.
MR. FLEISCHER: That's correct.
Q Your briefing was nothing more than --
MR. FLEISCHER: This is information that is just coming in to the White
House and has been for just a short period of time, as well as to the FBI. I'm
not in a position to give you any additional information at this time about it,
and it's something that is being talked to with the FBI and the CDC to ascertain
what all the facts are.
Q Not even to the extent of how much is missing, or how long it's been
missing?
MR. FLEISCHER: No, these are all the facts that are being ascertained as
we speak.
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