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December 13, 2002
U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS
"State Officials Question Smallpox Timetable"
New York Times (www.nytimes.com) (12/13/02) P. A1; Altman, Lawrence K.; Broad, William J.
President Bush is planning to call for smallpox vaccinations for military personnel and emergency workers to begin in the next few weeks with the general public following in 2004, but critics of the plan assert that hospitals need more time to educate the public about potential risks of the vaccine as well as deciding logistical problems, such as who would pay for liability claims, lost work, and bandages. New Mexico epidemiologist C. Mark Sewell asserts that 30 days is too short a time span to complete smallpox vaccinations, and epidemiologists in other states agree, especially since a law protecting hospitals against legal risk associated with the vaccine does not go into effect until January 24, 2003.
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