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http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2002/05/31/eline/links/20020531elin034.html

CDC to host nationwide meetings on smallpox

Last Updated: 2002-05-31 17:00:50 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - As Americans grapple with fears of bioterrorism, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced four public meetings to provide information on smallpox and the smallpox vaccine.

The meetings will be held Thursday, June 6 in New York City and San Francisco; on Saturday, June 8 in St. Louis, Missouri; and on Tuesday, June 11 in San Antonio, Texas.

The CDC will also solicit comments from health professionals on the use of the vaccine. According to current policy, only a handful of people who work with the virus should be vaccinated preventively against smallpox.

However, recent fears about a bioterrorist attack have prompted federal officials to review the current policy. The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices smallpox working group will present an updated set of recommendations at a meeting on June 19 and 20 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Last month, a CDC-commissioned survey revealed that doctors have limited knowledge about the potential dangers of smallpox vaccination, which can include encephalitis, infections, lesions at or away from the site of vaccination, and death in about 0.5 to 5 per 1 million people.

The last natural case of smallpox occurred in 1977, according to the CDC.

Addresses for the meetings are as follows. All will be held from 8 AM to 5 PM local time.

New York: Mt. Sinai Hospital, Stern Auditorium, One Gustave L. Levy Place.

San Francisco: San Francisco Marriott Downtown, 55 Fourth Street.

St. Louis: Renaissance Airport Hotel, 9801 Natural Bridge Road.

San Antonio: Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, 200 East Market Street.

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