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.
New York Times (www.nytimes.com)
(12/16/02) P. A14; Altman, Lawrence K.
A new issue has turned up concerning the
administration of the dangerous smallpox vaccine: the question of who would pay
for the medical care should a vaccinated person accidentally transmit the virus
to someone else. The vaccinated site can shed the virus for several weeks after
inoculation. Federal experts such as Secretary of Health and Human Services
Tommy G. Thompson say that they expect standard health insurance to pay for the
medical care, if necessary, but they did not answer the question of what would
happen if the infected persons had no health insurance. Some states were
worried that workers' compensation would not cover health care workers who
became ill from the vaccination, but Thompson adviser Dr. Michael T. Osterholm
says that no state program has refused to cover the vaccinations.
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?"