Stolen Viruses!? - U.S. military is worried they may be used as WMD!

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: Alistar7

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: Alistar7

Originally posted by: apoppin
And it really doesn't matter that it is the US' fault for failing to protect against this.
The fact is : we have a major "problem" brewing.

First you say we moved to quickly out of fear of this exact thing happening, then complain we didn't react fast enough. I honestly doubt ANY military planner thought Baghdad itself would be as much of a cakewalk. We are STILL not in full control over all areas, we have primarily let Saddam City be self protected. Was this an area the US had full control over at the time of the looting? If they did have full control and they knew what was in there, then it was negligent on their part to do nothing but watch it be looted, I would agree wholeheartedly.

The Article has been EXPANDED (check my link in the 1st post):

The failure of the U.S. military to prevent the looting greatly concerned and angered the director of the lab.

"The Americans shouldn't just protect Ministry of Oil, they should protect all the general public health services," said Mounier Kuba, the lab's director.

The lab was inspected by the United Nations as recently as Dec. 30. No biological weapons were found, but the United States has been suspicious that the Ministry of Health was involved in an Iraqi biological weapons program.

"A building like this should have been known to intelligence and it should have been a high-category target to come and secure this building," said Peter Galbraith, a former U.S. diplomat who is now an ABCNEWS consultant.

Marines said they saw the looting taking place last Friday but they had no instructions to protect the building ? and not enough people, even if they had wanted to.

"I didn't know what this facility was," said Lt. Matthew Danner. "I probably should have done something, but I didn't have the manpower."

Sure sounds like NEGLIGENCE to me.

How could they be negligent, the building was just cleared by the UN....

They also stated they did not have the manpower, remember the assault of Baghdad was supposed to take longer, they also got there much faster than anticipated. There are still parts of the city we have NO control over, local residents have taken over that responsibility. It would stand to reason if these were taken by normal looters this stuff will show itself, if it disappears without a tarce it is in the hands of someone who knows how to handle and store it properly.

The UN "cleared" the Building LAST year.

STRANGELY, the US had "sufficient forces" to protect the Oil Ministry.

I guess this was either: 1) way down on the "to do" list or, 2) poor planning.

 

[Insane3D]

Question for you all. The viruses that were supposedly stolen...how good are they as a weapon? IIRC, all of those listed as possibly stolen are mainly transmitted by bodily fluid exchange. Cholera is transmitted through water usually, and needs to be ingested. It is also easily treatable, and rarely fatal if treated promptly. Black Fever is usually spread from insects, and needs to infect the blood. HIV is another virus transmitted through fluid exchange, and I can't see how it could be used as a weapon....unless they injected themselves and had sex or shared needles with our troops.

Polio is still dangerous, but I believe most people are vaccinated against it in the US at least, and the vaccine gives a lifelong immunity. Last is Hepatitis which again, is a blood borne disease. How would these virus be weaponized, and why did a hospital need them on hand?

I am curious how this could become this global epidemic like you say...please elaborate.

 

[BaliBabyDoc]

Polio: more dangerous to Iraqis than US . . . actually UNICEF was rushing to complete a childhood polio vaccination effort before the US invasion.

Hepatitis: greater threat from eating at some restaurants (Hep A) . . . every American SHOULD have been vaccinated for Hep B and any American that travels should be vaccinated for Hep A. Hep C is fluid transmission only (blood/semen/vaginal secretions). Hepatitis would be a terrible choice for a bioweapon.

Cholera: difficult to use in any country that treats water.

HIV: one of the most fragile viral particles known to man . . . and a horrible choice for engineering b/c its natural mutation pattern would likely destroy bioengineered pathogenicity.

black fever: I don't know that one . . . but its probably tropical.

I hate to burst your bubble but this is garbage sensationalism . . . ABC trying to keep up with FOX. Dangerous strains of cholera, black fever, HIV, polio, and hepatitis may have been lost during the post-war looting of Iraq's key disease control facility, ABCNEWS has learned. I'm sure everybody would have been confused about the possible theft of HARMLESS strains of cholera, black fever, HIV, polio, and hepatitis at a disease control facility.:disgust:

 

[apoppin]

Do any of you bother to read the link?:

U.S. sources are concerned that polio and hepatitis may have been stolen, in addition to other viruses that may not be reflected in the official records in Baghdad. . . .

The Marines have been told to consider the inside of the building a hot zone. "I was ordered not to go in and I'm not going to go in. I can secure it without going in," Danner said, adding that he doesn't advise that anyone go inside the building.

As escaped laboratory animals roamed the compound, a new sign was posted in Arabic reading: "Stay away, extremely dangerous. Lab is polluted with viruses."

I guess the sign is up for nothing.



And we DON'T KNOW what else is there:

The lab was inspected by the United Nations as recently as Dec. 30. No biological weapons were found, but the United States has been suspicious that the Ministry of Health was involved in an Iraqi biological weapons program.

Sure, go ahead and MINIMIZE the dangers.

 

[LunarRay]

Quote

I guess the sign is up for nothing.



And we DON'T KNOW what else is there:

The lab was inspected by the United Nations as recently as Dec. 30. No biological weapons were found, but the United States has been suspicious that the Ministry of Health was involved in an Iraqi biological weapons program.

Sure, go ahead and MINIMIZE the dangers. [/quote]

I heard an expatriot of MS. Dr. Germ explain how she would go home and relax by dickering with toxins. Now that is scary... what she may have cooked up and injected into her pet monkey is just ... well... typical for the Saddamite.
Oh the sign, I expect, keeps the humans out but will it keep the bugs and all in... can they read?
I assume all the bugs and all still remains in Iraq... before any one brings stuff here they better be decontaminated... SARS comes to mind.

 

[Insane3D]

Sure, go ahead and MINIMIZE the dangers

Well you seem to feel free to blow out of proportion the dangers.

Apparently, you haven't done much research on these viruses you read about. None of the ones mentioned were really useful at all as a weapon, let alone a WMD with global implications.

What is up with you and the doomsday scenarios?

Do any of you bother to read the link?

Yes. Did you bother to do any research on the viruses you mentioned? I did...at places like the CDC and WHO websites....but wait...you have read a article by ABC...nevermind.

:Q <--- A few extra emoticons to make apoppin happy.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: Insane3D

Sure, go ahead and MINIMIZE the dangers

Well you seem to feel free to blow out of proportion the dangers.

Apparently, you haven't done much research on these viruses you read about. None of the ones mentioned were really useful at all as a weapon, let alone a WMD with global implications.

What is up with you and the doomsday scenarios?

Do any of you bother to read the link?

Yes. Did you bother to do any research on the viruses you mentioned? I did...at places like the CDC and WHO websites....but wait...you have read a article by ABC...nevermind.

:Q <--- A few extra emoticons to make apoppin happy.

Well, let's see . . . it has already pointed out the diseases mentioned are generally not weaponized. However, YOU seem to STILL be missing the POINT . . . we don't really KNOW what was there or what was taken. The "rub" is that the US expects there ARE weaponized forms of diseases there.

We just don't know - despite your "exhaustive research" - if there is serious danger or not.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: Insane3D

Sure, go ahead and MINIMIZE the dangers

Well you seem to feel free to blow out of proportion the dangers.

Apparently, you haven't done much research on these viruses you read about. None of the ones mentioned were really useful at all as a weapon, let alone a WMD with global implications.

What is up with you and the doomsday scenarios?

Do any of you bother to read the link?

Yes. Did you bother to do any research on the viruses you mentioned? I did...at places like the CDC and WHO websites....but wait...you have read a article by ABC...nevermind.

:Q <--- A few extra emoticons to make apoppin happy.

Well, let's see . . . it has already pointed out the diseases mentioned are generally not weaponized. However, YOU seem to STILL be missing the POINT . . . we don't really KNOW what was there or what was taken. The "rub" is that the US expects there ARE weaponized forms of diseases there.

We just don't know - despite your "exhaustive research" - if there is serious danger or not.

 

[BaliBabyDoc]

Well, let's see . . . it has already pointed out the diseases mentioned are generally not weaponized. However, YOU seem to STILL be missing the POINT . . . we don't really KNOW what was there or what was taken. The "rub" is that the US expects there ARE weaponized forms of diseases there.

The US experts are ignorant or idiotic. The equipment necessary to bioengineer/weaponized bacteria and viruses is quite extensive and would be obvious at first site to an expert. Furthermore, UNICEF was likely using the same building since they were an integral part of MOST disease control efforts within the country. In sum, the ABC story is garbage except for the US expert noting that they are quite ignorant about how to do their job . . . maybe they should call the UN.

 

[Alistar7]

What about the "unknown" substances?

 

[BaliBabyDoc]

What about the "unknown" substances?

Wild type pathogen strains, modified strains (inactivated/dead), or vaccine candidate . . . are all FAR more likely. Why is it that ignorance of OBL or Saddam's location is not harmful or relevant but every little discovery of "unknown" substances is a potential mortal threat? I'm quickly developing an ignore list of media: FOX, MSNBC, and CBS have just been joined by ABC.

 

[Alistar7]

Originally posted by: BaliBabyDoc

What about the "unknown" substances?

Wild type pathogen strains, modified strains (inactivated/dead), or vaccine candidate . . . are all FAR more likely. Why is it that ignorance of OBL or Saddam's location is not harmful or relevant but every little discovery of "unknown" substances is a potential mortal threat? I'm quickly developing an ignore list of media: FOX, MSNBC, and CBS have just been joined by ABC.

pathogen, like ebola is a pathogen? nice. Glad those were not accounted for and unknown in nature and missing.

The search for Saddam is prevelant on all those stations though. As are reports on any developments dealing with OBL or Al-Queeda.

Of course any WMD are more dangerous than Saddam himself, he can only do so much now. These things, who knows what they might be capable of, we don't even know what they were. Notice there have been no people in Iraq, average citizens, reported being ill with anything that was looted, whoever has this stuff knows how to handle, store, and transport it properly, an even scarier thought.