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May 02, 2003

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Federal Officials Urge States to Reassess Their Smallpox Plans"

Associated Press (www.ap.org) (05/01/03); Meckler, Laura

The original target of vaccinating 450,000 health care workers against smallpox in the first 30 days of the program--a goal that was not met due to reservations about the vaccine's side effects and budget pressures--is unrealistic, says Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) bioterrorism preparedness effort head Joe Henderson.  States must determine their own methods of handling a potential smallpox outbreak and get those plans approved by the federal government before receiving their portion of the $1 billion set aside for bioterrorism preparedness.  Less than 35,000 people have been vaccinated against smallpox after three months, and many people are questioning the need for large-scale vaccination since no biological weapons have been found yet in Iraq.

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