Immunization Newsbriefs (c) Copyright Information Inc., Bethesda, MD. Brought to you by the National Network for Immunization Information (NNii). Visit NNii's new website at http://www.immunizationinfo.org.
------------------------------------------------------------
March 5, 2003
U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS
"S. F. General Balks on Vaccine"
San Francisco Chronicle (www.sfgate.com) (03/04/03) P. A1; Russell, Sabin
San Francisco General Hospital is blocking its staffers from getting smallpox shots, saying the vaccine puts patients at too great a risk. The vaccine itself is an infectious agent that can cause vaccinia or cowpox and is dangerous to vulnerable people for up to two to four weeks following immunization. While vaccinia normally launches an aggressive antibody defense against smallpox, it can cause a potentially deadly infection in people with compromised immune systems. The policy of the San Francisco Department of Public Health states that city health care workers who have "direct contact" with patients are barred from receiving the vaccine unless they are able to avoid working with patients until the vaccine blister is no longer contagious. However, Dr. Susan Fernyak, director of communicable disease prevention and smallpox planning for the city health department, noted that a shortage of nurses and downsized budgets do not allow for pulling people off duty for that length of time. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spokesman Tom Skinner warned cities not to discount the risk of bioterrorism, and he said that CDC head Dr. Julie Gerberding--who ran the infection control program at San Francisco General prior to joining the CDC in 1998--"has been participating in meetings where a certain level of intelligence has been shared, and she's saying that, without a doubt, "we're doing the right thing."
ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND
MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION
PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS
OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR
LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND
COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH
YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.