More than 300,000 Floridians would be vaccinated for smallpox, according to a plan that state health officials submitted to the federal government Tuesday.

The proposal, which must be reviewed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, calls for vaccinating about 35,000 hospital personnel and county health department workers starting in January.

They would be followed by the vaccination of 300,000 to 400,000 "first responders" statewide -- which includes law-enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency-medical crews and other health-care workers.

Health officials say there is no reason to think a smallpox threat is imminent, but they want to be prepared.

The highly contagious virus causes painful lesions on the skin and kills about 30 percent of its victims.

"Given the current status of the war on terrorism and other potential global events, we continue to believe it is prudent to aggressively prepare," said Florida Secretary of Health Dr. John Agwunobi. "We have developed plans to protect Floridians against the potential threat of smallpox and mitigate the consequences of the intentional release of this disease."

The final phase of the plan would open voluntary vaccination to the general population, with the Florida Department of Health estimating that about 10 million Floridians would be eligible for the shots.

People with certain health conditions, such as HIV or the skin condition eczema, cannot be vaccinated because they run the risk of dangerous side effects or death.

Robyn Suriano can be reached at rsuriano@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5487.