Slim turnout for first smallpox shots

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Slim turnout for first smallpox shots

Health unions urge workers to wait due to safety concerns
Dr. Marcia Trape, left, gives Dr. James Hadler a smallpox shot Friday in Farmington, Conn. Hadler was the first volunteer participant in the campaign to vaccinate up to 500,000 health care workers

MSNBC NEWS SERVICES


Jan. 24 — Just four people, far fewer than expected, got smallpox vaccinations Friday as Connecticut became the first state to begin inoculating health workers against a possible bioterror threat. The small turnout, due in large part to health unions’ safety and liability concerns, was a feeble start to the Bush administration’s plan to vaccinate nearly 500,000 health workers across the country.


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‘I think there are a lot of people sitting on the fence at this point, waiting to see how the first phase goes.’
— CHRISTOPHER CANNON
Office of Emergency Preparedness for the Yale-New Haven Health System

THE STATE’S plan was for at least all 20 members of Connecticut’s “Genesis Team” to get the shots before fanning out across the state to administer the vaccine to other doctors, nurses and nurse practitioners who volunteer.
But the number of volunteers dwindled all week and dropped sharply when a nurses union recommended waiting until liability questions are resolved, said Dr. Michael Grey, associate professor of clinical medicine at the University of Connecticut medical school and head of the team.
A law protecting those giving the shots from lawsuits took effect Friday.
The vaccine itself can cause a handful of serious reactions and even death, and some health care workers and hospitals have refused to take part. Grey said the union and hospital officials are discussing the situation.

4 PEOPLE VACCINATED
“I’m feeling fine, thank you,” said Dr. Robert Fuller, one of the four who was injected. The 38-year-old emergency room physician added: “I know the risks.”
Besides Fuller, Richard Garibaldi, James Hadler and Marcia Trape also received the injections, delivered into their arms in 15 rapid punctures from a two-pronged needle. Hadler is the state epidemiologist; Garibaldi is chairman of medicine at UConn’s hospital; Trape is clinical director of occupational and environmental medicine at UConn Health Center.

Local coverage

•	WVIT: Smallpox vaccine given to CT health workers
•	Gazette: Academy begins smallpox vaccinations

A union representing nurses at UConn Health Center urged other health care workers to wait before receiving the vaccine until liability questions are resolved, saying it is unclear whether there is protection for people who get sick and miss work, or for family members who might get sick through accidental exposure.
State lawmakers are working on legislation to clarify that worker’s compensation is available to participants in the vaccine program and that health insurance cannot be denied for any adverse reaction.
The federal government has assumed some liability for the shots, but the protection applies only to negligence in manufacturing and administering the vaccine.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said he is concerned about opposition to the vaccinations. He said he is trying to ease workers’ concerns and develop a plan to compensate people who suffer ill effects from the vaccine.
“Make no mistake: We can and must make the smallpox vaccination plan a reality,” he said.

NURSES URGE NON-COMPLIANCE
About 20 states have requested the vaccine for members of smallpox response teams.
Nebraska, Vermont and Los Angeles County have received vaccine shipments already but have not yet started the vaccinations. The Los Angeles County health department expects to begin vaccinating its employees Wednesday.
“There’s no rush here. We’re doing it slowly and in a deliberate fashion,” said Dr. Jonathan Fielding, the county public health director.
The first Vermont vaccinations could take place by the end of the month, while vaccinations will begin Feb. 10 in Nebraska.

In addition to health workers, President Bush has ordered the vaccination of 500,000 military troops. Eventually up to 10 million people will be vaccinated.
The California Nurses Association on Thursday urged hospitals in the state not to participate in the program, saying there was no proof a smallpox attack is likely.
In a letter to Bush, Barbara Blakeney, president of the American Nurses Association, said: “Without a resolution of these concerns, ANA cannot fully support the smallpox vaccination program at this time.”

In a recent survey, 63 percent of 2,600 nurses responding said they would get the smallpox shot, 13 percent said they wouldn’t and 24 percent were undecided, according to the National Network for Immunization Information, a coalition of several health trade groups.
In Connecticut, where health officials eventually hope to vaccinate about 6,000 workers — an average of 150 per hospital — the early response among health workers was disappointing to officials.
Christopher Cannon of the Office of Emergency Preparedness for the Yale-New Haven Health System has overseen vaccine education programs at 17 hospitals in southern Connecticut. He said those hospitals are averaging between 20 and 30 volunteers.
“It’s not overwhelming,” Cannon said. “I think there are a lot of people sitting on the fence at this point, waiting to see how the first phase goes.”

The risk of a smallpox attack is unknown, and the chance that any given person will be exposed is small, an advisory panel for the Institute of Medicine said recently in urging the government to go slower with the vaccinations.
But the risks of the vaccine are well-known. Some people may have sore arms and fever or feel sick enough to miss work. As many as 40 people out of every million vaccinated for the first time will face life-threatening reactions, and one or two will die.
The vaccine is not recommended for people with skin problems, such as eczema, or those with weak immune systems, such as HIV, transplant or cancer patients. The government says even people with close family members in those categories should be screened out.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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