1.   Americans feeling vulnerable to a potential smallpox attack by terrorists can breathe a little easier, thanks to two encouraging developments last week.

2.   And the very existence of such a large stockpile would have the added advantage of making a smallpox attack less likely.

3.   And most stealthily of all, intelligence agencies are stepping up their efforts to better judge the threat of smallpox attacks.

4.   But war games are not reality, and history suggests that a real smallpox attack need not result in devastation.

5.   Earlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a plan on how to deal with smallpox attacks.

6.   He said the government was ordering enough vaccine to protect the American people if an enemy launches a smallpox attack.

7.   How likely is a smallpox attack?

8.   If a smallpox attack does occur, Thompson said, current plans call for vaccinating only people exposed to the disease and others in contact with them.

9.   If they had gone because of a smallpox attack, an unknown number of health workers might have had to be vaccinated at each hospital, she said.

10.   In a military exercise this past summer called Dark Winter, researchers conducted a simulated smallpox attack on Oklahoma City.