"Our people are more realistic than yours," he said, quite sincerely. "We offered men condemned to die a pardon if they lived after being exposed to the virus. Most of them agreed."
"I'm surprised they got a choice," I said acidly.
"Our rulers have softened since the days of Stalin," he replied with a wry smile.
"Why didn't you use it instead of the measlepox?" I asked him.
"We did not have enough, and also we did not have a vaccine against it until recently. In fact only a few people have been protected. I am one, and so are my helpers in the Laboratory ... and, to some extent, so will you be for a while."
"Do you really think so?"
"We have found there is limited cross-immunity from having had the natural fever, especially early in convalescence, but that protection wears off rapidly."
"What do you mean by limited?"
"Let us suppose you had an accident with the vials I shall give you for your return journey and spilled the contents on you. You would be very ill with the fever but you would have a fair chance of living."
"Have you given the new syndrome a name?"