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.
------------------------------------------------------------
December 16, 2002
U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS
"US Children Unlikely to Receive Smallpox Inoculations"
Dow Jones Newswire (www.djnewswires.com) (12/14/02)
Citing health risks, U.S. officials have decided not to extend the smallpox vaccine to children under the new vaccination program currently being implemented. Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief of vaccine development and bioterrorism programs at the National Institutes of Health, said children are automatically disqualified from receiving the vaccination since ethical and safety issues prevented them from being included in the clinical trials now underway. Researchers initially sought to include toddlers in a clinical trial that tried to determine if diluted doses of the vaccine were as effective as full-strength doses, but they quickly abandoned the plan after research oversight boards at universities expressed concern about ethics and safety. The Food and Drug Administration sought public comment on the issue, and, according to Fauci, the "vast majority" said that children should not be included in the research.
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.