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May 10, 2002

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Smallpox Vaccine Knowledge Found Lacking"

New York Times (www.nytimes.com) (05/10/02) P. A28; Altman, Lawrence K.

A panel investigating the question of who should be vaccinated against smallpox held a meeting this week in Atlanta. The panel, known as the Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices and the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, was told by infectious disease experts and federal health officials that both doctors and the general public do not understand the risks associated with the smallpox vaccine, and they need to be better informed if smallpox vaccinations are to be resumed.  The reintroduction of mass vaccination against smallpox would probably cause thousands of serious complications and cost hundreds of people their lives. Focus groups conducted on behalf of the panel found that some doctors were under the impression that smallpox still occurs naturally, and researchers also discovered that younger doctors actually know very little about the complications caused by the smallpox vaccine and they do not know how to use the two-prong needles used to give the shot.  In addition, members of the general public believed that the smallpox vaccine was safe, that it was still given to children, and that it provided lifetime protection.

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