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December 11, 2002
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS
"Israel Vaccinates Soldiers and Health Workers"
New York Times (www.nytimes.com) (12/10/02) P. A23; Miller, Judith
In preparation for a possible attack by Iraq, Israel has successfully inoculated 15,000 military personnel and health workers against smallpox on a voluntary basis since July--a program that will allow the rest of the country's population to be vaccinated within four days of a single diagnosed case of the deadly disease anywhere in the world. The White House this week is expected to announce its decision to begin vaccinating as many as a half million first-responders against smallpox, but unlike the United States, Israel uses the Lister vaccine strain, which has less side effects than the American strain. Five percent of those inoculated in Israel reported mild effects such as fevers, headaches, and muscle pains, and only two were seriously affected. One woman with an immune disorder was infected by her husband, who had been vaccinated; the woman was treated and has recovered fully. Israel only ended its smallpox vaccination program for soldiers in 1996 to dispel misconceptions that it had weaponized the virus.
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