Steven Black

Steven Black is codirector of the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center in Oakland, California. In the following viewpoint, he argues against mass vaccination of all Americans against smallpox. The theoretical risk that a terrorist group or nation might use the smallpox virus as a biological weapon must be weighed against the real health risks that a mass smallpox vaccination would entail, including hundreds of deaths and thousands of serious reactions and injuries. Smallpox vaccinations should only be used in cases where smallpox outbreaks are positively identified, he contends.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. How deadly was the disease of smallpox, according to Black?
2. Why is the smallpox vaccine more dangerous than other vaccines, according to the author?
3. How does Black describe the “ring...