SMALLPOX? Pakistan’s The Dawn is reporting a smallpox outbreak, supposedly “rapidly spreading” in Swabi district (the upper left of this map).

This seems unlikely to me — it’s certainly not getting any other attention that I can find — but worth keeping an eye on.

UPDATE: MedPundit Sydney Smith shares my skepticism about this story, but has some good arguments for going ahead with smallpox vaccinations in the U.S. anyway. I agree. And Jerry Pournelle has more information on smallpox vaccinations.

Also, several paranoid readers suggest that Pakistan is either (1) testing smallpox (doubtful — you wouldn’t release it into your own population, as it’s too easy for it to get away; you’d do it the old fashioned way and test it on political prisoners); or (2) broadcasting a false cover story in case it releases smallpox in a war with India (sadly, not quite so doubtful).