December 10, 2002
FRANKFORT (AP) -- Kentucky plans to vaccinate at
least 5,000 medical workers against smallpox and perhaps
as many as 10,000 if ordered by President Bush.
A public health official said Tuesday the first to be
vaccinated would make up the advance teams that check
out possible cases of smallpox.
The state's public health commissioner says people
who go investigate possible smallpox cases ought to be
vaccinated. Dr. Rice Leach says people likely to be
taking care of the patient ought to be vaccinated
against it. And if it turns out the patient did have
smallpox, the vaccinators ought to be vaccinated.
Smallpox is an acute, contagious disease caused by a
virus.
Leach says that though the state has planned for it,
mass vaccination of the public in advance of an actual
outbreak is unlikely.
(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights
Reserved.)
