Smallpox Update: Surgeon General Carmona, government bioterrorism consultant D.A. Henderson, and CDC head Julie Gerberding are getting vaccinated against smallpox to help persuade reluctant healthcare providers that this really is a necessary precaution. That's good. I've been worried about Dr. Gerberding since reading a statement in which she called obesity more of a threat than bioterrorism. Meanwhile, the anti-viral drug cidofovir is showing promise in mice for the treatment of cowpox, which could make it a useful tool in treating complications of the smallpox vaccine.