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.
Wall Street Journal (www.wsj.com)
(12/16/02) P. A6; Hitt, Greg
Under a sweeping new initiative to vaccinate
some 500,000 key military, government and first-line medical personnel against
smallpox, President Bush says he also plans to be vaccinated. The military
shots began last Friday at the Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C.
Late next month, first-line health care workers in each state will begin
receiving immunizations, and after that the vaccine will be made more widely
available, supplied to as many as 10 million local police, firefighters and
emergency rescue personnel in the end. Concerned about the risks of the vaccine
itself, Bush was heavily involved in shaping the inoculation program, which will
be accompanied by an educational program designed to help the public and
targeted workers weigh those risks when considering vaccination. Because of the
risks of side effects from the smallpox vaccine, health officials are planning
to set up a strict monitoring program to make sure that at-risk people, such as
those with compromised immune systems, do not receive the vaccine.
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.
"A foolish faith in authority is the worst enemy of truth."
-- Albert Einstein, letter to a friend, 1901
"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education."
-- Thomas Jefferson, letter to William C. Jarvis, September 28, 1820
"What's the point of vaccination if it doesn't protect you from the unvaccinated?"
-- Sandy Gottstein
"Who gets to decide what the greater good is and how many will be sacrificed to it?"