The Plague

All reminding me of The Stand.
And prairie dogs are said to spread it, and there is a vaccine for the
"black" plague I think I remember my dad talking about having to get
one. He is in the U.S military, they also have one for the Bird Flu.

If you want the links for the sites send me a pm, I can't post links yet.
 
Then how did we get rid of smallpox and how are we getting rid of polio?
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As already mentioned, smallpox has no animal reservoires. Also there were a number of other favourable aspects of smallpox that made it easier to eradicate (remember, in all this time smallpox is the only disease that has been, in effect, eradicated).
To quote some points:

One sceptical note was made at the symposium by the two introductory speakers -- Fenner & Henderson. They reflected on the broader applicability of disease eradication from their vantage point of nearly 15 years of participation in the just concluded smallpox eradication campaign. Their basic conclusion, in brief, was that there was at that time no other suitable candidate for eradication. As they pointed out, smallpox had a number of highly favourable characteristics which facilitated eradication including the very heat-stable vaccine which protected with a single dose. No other disease came close to matching these advantages. Despite this, eradication was achieved by only the narrowest of margins. Its progress in many parts of the world and at different times wavered between success and disaster, often only to be decided by quixotic circumstance or extraordinary performances by field staff.
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Also, apes are a numerical too low population to have a large impact, moreover they have spread face to face, or in case of polio via feces (I think).
One problem with polio is that its vaccine is a live one and can actually be transmitted from person to person. As such there is the possibility that the harmless strain used as vaccine might accumulate mutation and reverting it to a neurovirulent strain.
 
Plague is quite common in prairie dog populations. It is usually not a problem with the advent of antibiotics....
 
I think it is impossible. We have the medicine to be able to cure people of most plague-like diseases which use to ravage communities centuries ago. Moreover, if a plague does occur in some remote area, through technology and tried methods we can isolate the spread of the disease, minimizing the effect of it.
 
Orleander said:
What would it take to get rid of the plague in the US? Would it ever be possible?

Cases are treatable with antibiotics, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that up to 50 percent are fatal if the disease causes pneumonia. The Coconino County Medical Examiner has said York's lungs were filled with fluid and his body showed signs of pneumonia.
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Tnx for your information. It's very informative.
 
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