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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!mcnc!ecsvax!emigh
From: emigh@ecsvax.UUCP (Ted Emigh)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Viral infections:  Modern medicine seems virtually helpless!
Message-ID: <249@ecsvax.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 14-Aug-85 15:11:15 EDT
Article-I.D.: ecsvax.249
Posted: Wed Aug 14 15:11:15 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 17-Aug-85 16:31:55 EDT
References: <191@tekig5.UUCP> <314@kitty.UUCP>
Reply-To: emigh@ecsvax.UUCP (Ted Emigh)
Organization: NC State University
Lines: 26
Summary: 

In article <314@kitty.UUCP> larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) writes:

>	Various governments (the U.S. included) have been quietly but seriously
>investigating the creation of *racially-specific* microorganisms, including
>viruses which will affect only persons of a specific race.  I am certain that
>all of you have heard of racially-specific diseases such as sickle cell
>anemia, Tay-Sachs disease, etc.  Think about this a minute...

Hold on a second!!  Sickle cell anemia and Tay-Sachs disease are not racially
specific diseases.  Instead, they are genetic diseases that are more frequent
in some populations (races) than in other populations.  In the case of sickle
cell anemia, individuals who are heterozygous for this gene have some
protection against malaria, so it is more common in those areas with a
historically high rate of malaria (Equatorial Africa, SE Asia, etc).  Even so,
it occurs in European populations, among others.  I can think of no way of
introducing sickle cell anemia or Tay-Sachs disease into a population through
chemical warfare.

--Ted--

-- 

Ted H. Emigh     Genetics and Statistics, North Carolina State U, Raleigh  NC
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