Though there was consensus among local health officials and professors as to where a smallpox attack on the United States would originate, views on how Iowa would be impacted by such an attack differed.

The last case of smallpox in the United States was in 1949. Vaccinations to the general public were ended in 1972.

Smallpox, which is an infectious disease that results in large rashes across the entire body, was declared eradicated in 1979 by the World Health Organization.

However, Steffen Schmidt, university professor of political science, said there are still several governments that have the capability to use smallpox as a biological weapon. “It is likely that Iraq has smallpox because we are vaccinating our troops,” Schmidt said.

He said there is also a strong chance North Korea has the virus, as it is the only state to vaccinate its entire military. However, Schmidt said smallpox is more likely to be used as a “fear factor terrorist weapon.”

President Bush’s goal is to have enough smallpox vaccines to cover the entire American population, if the United States faces a smallpox attack. There are no current plans to vaccinate the general population.

Col. Robert King, Iowa National Guard public affairs officer, said some Iowa troops have already been vaccinated and “other soldiers will be receiving the vaccination at their mobilization centers.”

Across the country, doctors and other first responders are being vaccinated in case of a smallpox attack.

Dr. Marc Schulman of the Thielen Student Health Center said doctors in Ames are not being vaccinated. “[Iowa is] broken up into about 15 different regions. If we were to get smallpox [in Ames], vaccinated doctors from Des Moines hospitals would come up to treat and vaccinate people.”

Schulman said the vaccine consists of a shot in the arm, and there are risks associated with it. About one or two out of every million people who receive the vaccine will die from it. Other reactions might include a light fever, a stiff arm or a blister where the shot was administered.

King said no Iowa troops have shown any side effects to the vaccine. Nationally, few side effects have been reported by those who have recently been vaccinated for smallpox and no one has died from the inoculations.

Schmidt said the reason for using smallpox as a form of weaponry is because it is so contagious. “Once it’s out [in the public], it’s a killer,” he said.

Schulman said smallpox can be spread through respiratory droplets emitted by sneezing or coughing.

“If smallpox is spotted early, the infected person can still receive the vaccine,” Schulman said.

Emily Blinks, junior in finance, echoed the sentiments of many ISU students. She said she would not get the shot if it were made available to the general public.

“I don’t believe we will be faced with a biological attack,” Blinks said.

She said if she lived in a more populated area, like New York, she would consider getting vaccinated. She said she does not believe Iowans are at risk.

But Schmidt said a smallpox attack on America would be detrimental to the entire country, including Iowa. “If there is an outbreak of smallpox, it will be hard to contain it because we are such a mobile society,” he said.

He said bigger cities face a larger risk of a direct attack.

Jon Harbart, senior in mechanical engineering and member of the Iowa Air National Guard, spent three weeks in Turkey last November. He said he did not receive a smallpox vaccine and would not get one if the vaccine were made available to the public.

However, he said, “If I’m ordered to get [the vaccination], I have to get it. Any hesitation I have would be irrelevant.”

Harbart said the National Guard has annual training on how to deal with a biological attack.

—CNN contributed to this story.