Nation Digest
CDC plans to proceed with vaccines

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WASHINGTON — Federal health officials said yesterday they plan to begin shipping 50,000 doses of smallpox vaccine to at least 11 states Tuesday, indicating they have no intention of delaying the program, as some unions and medical experts have asked.

"We intend to make this happen on time," said Julie Gerberding, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in response to the growing chorus of health professionals urging a slower, more cautious approach.

Several large unions, the Institute of Medicine, county officials and a half-dozen hospitals have expressed reservations about the Bush administration plan to begin immunizing 500,000 medical personnel Friday.

The major worry is that the policy makes no provision for compensating people injured either directly by the vaccine or through inadvertent exposure.

Although smallpox last was seen in the United States in the late 1940s, fears of terrorism prompted President Bush to call for immunizing as many as 10.5 million medical workers and emergency responders.

An Institute of Medicine advisory panel studying the plan cautioned yesterday that a "hasty launch may mean insufficiently trained vaccinators and uninformed vaccinees, leading perhaps to an increased likelihood of poor outcomes."