And when volunteers were sought to lead Florida's smallpox vaccination response, Edwards did what the vast majority of health workers around the nation are refusing to do -- step forward, without hesitation, and receive the shots.

Edwards, a divorced mother of three adult children, was among the earliest recipients of the smallpox vaccine when Florida's inoculation operation began Monday. She said the choice, while voluntary, was an easy one based on the training and education health workers were provided with.

"I have to take care of me and I have to educate me to do this job," said Edwards, who is an assistant nursing director for the Broward County Department of Health. "If I'm going to provide the service to the community, I have to go through it first."

Edwards was one of 503 county health workers in Florida to receive the inoculation on Monday. In all, the state hopes to vaccinate as many as 433,000 health care workers, police and emergency response personnel in the first two phases of Florida's three-stage smallpox plan.

No timetable for completion of the first two phases is set, state health spokesman Rob Hayes said. Stage I should end by April 1, but Stage II's start date has not been scheduled. Stage III, for citizens, would not begin until at least 2004 and only if the federal government deems it necessary.

"We stress there is no credible risk, which is why it's voluntary" Hayes said. "We're just preparing."

Edwards said she had no thoughts of skipping her appointment. It's an uncertain world, she said, so it's in her best interest to be prepared for anything.

"We went through a lot of training. We went through a lot of techniques," she said. "We did everything we could do to be ready to make our own decisions."

Smallpox was eradicated worldwide in 1980, but fears that leftover stockpiles of the virus could pose a bioterrorism risk led to a push for renewed vaccinations. After exposure to the virus, it takes one to two weeks for symptoms, usually flu-like at first, to appear. The disease is often accompanied by an outbreak of tiny open sores, which remain contagious until they scab over and fall off. Smallpox kills as many as 30 percent of the people it infects.

Edwards, 54, said her decision to volunteer for the vaccination was easy. The majority of her peers nationwide, though, are having a decidedly different response.

Medical professionals nationwide are concerned about compensation should they develop an adverse reaction to the vaccine or if they infect others, including family members and patients. Some medical experts question the need for the vaccinations, since no one knows of any credible threat of a smallpox attack.

"I embrace the debate and I am encouraging the discussion," said Dr. John Agwunobi, secretary of the Florida Department of Health. "It comforts me to know that people are really thinking this through before they commit."

Many of Florida's hospitals have not decided if they will participate in the voluntary inoculation program, which stemmed from President Bush's urging last year that the nation become better prepared for the threat of biological attacks. Bush also ordered vaccinations for all military personnel in high-risk areas.

"In essence, the health care workers in our country have been asked to step up and be a line of defense," said Martha Baker, a registered nurse at Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital and president of Service Employees International Union Local 1991. "We're hoping health care workers proceed with caution."

Edwards awoke on the morning of the vaccination at 6 a.m., her usual time, but was so anxious to receive the inoculation that she skipped her second cup of coffee.

Her drive to the vaccination location was a short one, only seven or eight miles. She completed the pre-inoculation paperwork shortly after arriving, and when her number was called she knocked on a small examining room door. At 9:27 a.m., she entered and sat down.

"Ready? Just rest your elbow right here, please," said the nurse who will give Edwards the vaccine.

Edwards sighed softly as her left elbow found a spot at the edge of the green table. The woman administering the inoculation dipped a tiny two-prong needle into the small vial containing the smallpox vaccine, then quickly jabs Edwards' arm 15 times. The process lasted about five seconds.

Edwards, her hands folded in her lap, smiled when she felt the first prick. Moments later, droplets of blood formed at the spot where she was vaccinated. Gauze and a large rectangular bandage were applied to the area. The procedure was over at 9:29 a.m.

"You are officially vaccinated," the nurse told Edwards.

Edwards walked into a post-interview room, where she was given a box of waterproof bandages and a clear plastic bag containing fresh dressings. She spent the rest of her day going about her usual work, feeling fine, as she did the following day.

"When you volunteer to do something and you're not obligated, there's a whole different perspective on how you approach it," Edwards said. "You look forward to doing it because it's something you truly want to do."

As an administrator in Broward's health department, Edwards handles everything from overseeing certain programs to actually treating patients when need arises. She will be used as a vaccinator throughout the rest of Florida's smallpox inoculation program.

Her 24-year-old son Jason lives at home, meaning Edwards will have to take precautions to ensure she and her son do not share towels or have their laundry mixed in with the other's for about three weeks, when the chance of infecting others has passed. The virus is live; direct contact with it could cause problems, including blindness.

Edwards' other children, a 26-year-old daughter and 20-year-old daughter, had no reservations about their mother becoming vaccinated, although experts say one or two people per million inoculated will die because of complications related to the shots.

"You do what you have to do," she said. "I think they're kind of excited about the idea of their mom really stepping forward. ... The best thing I can do is be ready."

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On the Net:

Florida Department of Health smallpox site: doh.state.fl.us/php/smallpox/index.html