New infections in the new world

... October 23, 2001 Attempts to use infectious agents as weapons are well known, but all of them have failed, so far, to cause major epidemics. American colonists used smallpox-infected blankets to spread the disease among the American Indians. The experiment ... ... infection affecting only a handful of people. However, one cannot rule out a successful intentional dissemination of pathogens in future. A scholar experienced in working with infectious agents may, if desired, inconspicuously produce a substantial quantity ...