Dear FRONTLINE,

Thank you for a painful but necessary awakening!

I think it is essential that our government pour funds into developing such measures to protect the population against biological attacks as it can. We have the ability to do this, and I believe it is imperative that we do so.

There may be no protection against genetically engineered, combined pathogens, since we don't know their exact formulations. And many of the component viruses have no vaccines as yet, eg. Ebola.

Still, I really think it's important to protect ourselves insofar as we can. Not only with vaccines and immune system strengthening measures, but with well-planned civil, medical and military plans for biological attacks.

I hate to be of the doom and gloom school, but I can't help feeling it truly is a matter of when, not if, these attacks will occur.

Cindy Ellegood
Louisville, Kentucky

Dear FRONTLINE,

This type of warfare takes the term "TERRORism" to new heights. As an Army soldier with some knowledge of NBC warfare, it is a frightening prospect to think of protecting my family from a threat to which there is no protection.

William Scott
Marlow, OK

Dear FRONTLINE,

It's quite simple for sophisticated, well-funded terrorist groups to secretly place money into the U.S. bio-tech industry and purchase small companies with plant and labs enough to produce and deploy as many viruses as they need here on our own soil. Many of these companies have existing contracts with Defense Department agencies, so it is conceivable that terrorists could be secret owners stockholders, lessees or contractors in companies working in our own defense establishment on projects involving biological warfare, under the very noses of our intelligence communities. In view of our failure to detect the overt plans of India to explode nuclear weapons, I have little confidence that our intelligence community has been able to detect secret terrorist penetration into our bio-tech industry. I also believe that such penetration already exists and that at some point in the future, our cities may face biological terrorism as a direct result.

Walt Dozier
Sarasota, Florida

Dear FRONTLINE,

It is vital to the defense of the US that the pharmaceutical industry cooperate with the DoD in producing vaccine against biological warfare agenets. During the Gulf War no US pharmaceutical company would support US efforts to produce vaccine against biological weapons because of legal issues and the lack of sufficient profit in dealing with the US Govrernment. All Americans should tell their elected officals that they support US efforts to protect both US Forces and the US population. This is an important issue that must rise from the electorate and now is the time before the election in November. Find out what you Congressman's postion is on funding defense against biological weapons.

Michael Balady

Dear FRONTLINE,

Your presentation on plague war sounds the call for all. This threat is potentially more destructive to the long term survival of the human race than any nuclear war ever was. The only reason there hasn't been much more of an outcry concerning this threat is because it was much easier to convince the world of the nuclear threat due to it's "visibility". Hopefully, your program will begin to awake the rest of the world to this monster in our backyard and something will begin to be done about it. Too much time has already been wasted.

G. Wesley Bennett
Erie, PA

Dear FRONTLINE,

The incredible threat of
Bio weaponry has been ignored by the general public due partly to the entertainment industry's
outlandish 'larger-than-life' plots and plague scenerios incorporated
in a multitude of scripts and story lines; accurate straight forward information without the prerequisite 'happy ending' would save as many lives as our govt's deterent efforts.

Joseph Bacon
St. Louis, MO

Dear FRONTLINE,

As a healthcare worker, I am concerned with the potential for use of both chemical and biological weapons. Terrorist groups, both domestic and international, with any sort of agenda may use these weapons to further their goals. This is not a threat to take lightly. In the last few years, the U.S. government has recognized it, and enacted the Nunn, Luger, Dominicci act in 1997 to help train law enforcement and emergency personnel on these weapons of mass destruction. Should the civilian population be exposed to either of these agents, the consequenses would be disastrous in proportion, taxing all of a communities services, as well as those of the state and federal governments. The key to preventing this from happening, is inteligence, and knowledge. It has been shown that terrorists look for the shock value in their attacks, and that a knowledgable public presents a poor target for them.

Hugh Rawls
Jacksonville, Florida

Dear FRONTLINE,

The most frightening program I've ever seen. That the internet is the resource for any nut wanting to cause serious damage makes this issue not only a threat to security but to 1st ammendment as well.

Les Ross
Austin, Texas

Dear FRONTLINE,

The fear of biological attack is like the fear of a snake attack. You know that it is out there. Silent in waiting. When it strikes you know only profound fear and then die painfully.

We can not erradicate what is biological. It is too easy to reproduce nature due to man's advanced state of science. All that is effective is to protect ourselves from these weapons by preparing a defense. We must be prepared for the possibility of biological attack.

Hale Johnston
kansas city, mo

Dear FRONTLINE,

I have to say I am very troubled by the idea of bioweapons being developed even today. I wonder how the people involved in developing these weapons that could destroy human life on earth justify their actions. I can't help but wonder what they think when they look into the faces of their children and consider that their work may result in the deaths of all they love. I think I am really more afraid of the humans who work to destroy their own species, than the weapons they develop.

Chuck Thomas
Columbus, Ohio