"I remember that according to official sources, there are only two places in the world where smallpox virus samples are kept, right?" Jack looked at Max.
Max maintained his expressionless face. From a psychological perspective, this is a form of self-protection for someone with social anxiety, though his condition was much milder than Chris's.
"In the last century, smallpox caused the deaths of an estimated 300 to 500 million people. There's no effective treatment for this virus, so humans relied on vaccines and quarantine measures to ultimately eradicate this horrific virus.
The only places known to hold smallpox virus samples are the CDC headquarters in Atlanta and the Biological Research Center in Koltsovo, Siberia, Russia."
Although the world entered a bipolar Cold War scenario after World War II, it was precisely because of a compromise between the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, that smallpox became the first infectious disease in human history to be eradicated.
Humans are the only host of the smallpox virus, and its history of transmission can be traced back 3,000 years. Traces of smallpox pustules were found on the head of the mummy of the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses V.
After the end of World War II, the US and the Soviet Union engaged in a tit-for-tat confrontation across various sectors, naturally including healthcare.
Following the implementation of the Marshall Plan, the World Health Organization (WHO) was completely controlled by the United States. In anger, Sudan, a founding member, declared a halt to its active involvement in the organization.
This situation persisted for 10 years, from 1948 to 1958, during which the WHO was virtually unable to promote any global medical cooperation.
With the rise of Yumi Xiaofu and then President Johnson, who launched the Vietnam War, the US-Soviet rivalry entered its second phase, and the US happily plunged headfirst into the ditch that was the Vietnam War.
Meanwhile, Sudan, having recovered from the devastating losses of World War II, shifted its offensive and defensive strategies. Feeling resilient, Sudan returned to the WHO with a resolute spirit.
Faced with the ever-present threat of smallpox, the sword of Damocles hanging over humanity, negotiations between the two powers ultimately resulted in the WHO taking on the coordination role, with the US providing funding and Sudan contributing to vaccine production.
From 1967 to 1977, after a decade of dedication, two billion doses of vaccine, and a rigorous scientific implementation plan, the two Cold War giants worked together to eradicate the smallpox virus that ravaged the world.
For well-known reasons, China, which did not join the WHO until 1972, was excluded from this global effort, or rather, deliberately ignored.
Of course, China didn't seem to mind this at the time, as Argentina and China had already completely eradicated the smallpox virus in their territories independently in 1961.
Thus, smallpox became the first infectious disease in human history to be completely eradicated. However, subsequent developments were somewhat more challenging. Repeated WHO requests to Argentina, Argentina, and the United States to destroy their remaining smallpox samples fell on deaf ears.
After countless wrangling and negotiations, the two samples were finally preserved, becoming a means of deterrence for the two superpowers, in addition to nuclear weapons.
"The last recorded death from smallpox was Janet Parker, a British medical photographer who died in 1978 from a laboratory virus leak.
At the time, the WHO approved Henry Bedson of the University of Birmingham Medical School to keep and continue studying the smallpox virus in his laboratory until the end of 1978.
On August 11, 1978, Janet, who lived upstairs from Bedson's laboratory, suddenly developed cold symptoms. Five days later, a rash appeared on her body, and she was not taken to an isolated hospital until she became completely blind.
After confirming that she had smallpox, British authorities began an investigation, and Henry Bedson, upon learning the news, realized that the virus must have leaked from his own laboratory.
This scientist, who had dedicated his life to studying the smallpox virus, chose to commit suicide out of guilt, and five days later, Janet died, becoming the last known human to have been infected with the smallpox virus and died at her hands."
Jack sighed as he closed his laptop and read to everyone the information that Alice, who was far away in New York, had just sent him.
In less than half an hour, his meeting with "Five-O" was interrupted by several phone calls. The Governor of Hawaii called Danny again and made a lot of promises to get things done, only asking them to find out the truth before things got out of hand.
Dana Moger, in New York, and David Rossi, currently working the case in Florida, also called Jack.
After confirming that someone's injuries did not affect their operations, they both expressed their hope that Jack would fully assist "Five-O" in resolving the matter as quickly as possible. Rossi also relayed the position of certain high-ranking military officials, who, in a rather cryptic manner, assured the FBI that no biological laboratory containing the smallpox virus existed in the Hawaiian Islands.
Jack was quite convinced by this, as the smallpox virus is a relatively stable double-stranded DNA virus, having ravaged human society for thousands of years, with only two subspecies emerging.
Compared to some RNA viruses, whose frequent mutations render vaccines ineffective, smallpox, while seemingly highly lethal and with a long incubation period of two weeks, is highly contagious, is not a candidate for a biological weapon, and vaccines can effectively prevent its transmission.
The current attention garnered by all parties is primarily due to its high profile; if word of it were to spread, it would be a serious blow to the nation's reputation.
After all, there are only two nominally designated locations for virus samples worldwide. Compared to believing the virus leaked from Siberia and spread to Hawaii, the public is more likely to cast suspicion on Atlanta.
"The CDC's Atlanta lab just examined the virus samples stored in liquid nitrogen and confirmed they weren't swapped. So, could he have contracted it while serving in Iraq?"
Kono glanced at Max, who immediately shook his head, dismissing her unreliable speculation. "The incubation period for smallpox can't be that long. Judging by the symptoms on the body, the time from infection to the current state couldn't have been more than two weeks."
"So, first, we need to find out when and where Brian Palmer contracted the smallpox virus, and investigate his whereabouts over the past two weeks, right?" Danny tried to reason.
Jack glanced at Max, who seemed hesitant to speak. He knew the socially anxious individual had something to say, but didn't know how to initiate it, so he gestured to him.
"Well, I don't think he contracted it through normal means," Max hesitated before voicing his opinion.
"What do you mean?" Except for Jack who had half a bottle of water, everyone else present was a complete idiot in this area and didn't understand what he meant for a moment.
"The main transmission route of smallpox virus is contact transmission, and it is direct contact. Although there is a certain chance of transmission through clothing contaminated with the virus and droplets during conversation, that is, aerosols, the transmission rate is generally low.
These are normal ways, and my discovery is..."
Max bowed to Kono who was standing in front of the computer, "Can I use the computer?"
Kono was a little overwhelmed by his serious look, and took two steps back to make room. "Of course, go ahead."
Max selected one of the many photos he took on the computer and showed it to everyone. "Although I only gave him a rough examination of his condition, I noticed this special scar."
He enlarged the photo, and a piece of festering skin appeared in front of everyone. "Pay attention to the position of this scab. Although it is a little blurry, I can confirm that this is a pinhole."
Danny covered his forehead and glanced at the photo and quickly retracted his gaze. "You mean, the virus was most likely injected into his body?"
"It sounds like a good thing?" Cheng Hao looked at Max and then at Jack, and found that both of them had strange expressions.
"If it's a single source of infection, the CDC only needs to control and isolate those who have come into contact with him." Jack sighed and answered evasively.
(End of this chapter)