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November 8, 2002
U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS
"Bush Considers Smallpox Vaccine for Troops"
Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com) (11/08/02) P. A22; Allen, Mike; Graham, Bradley
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld delivered to President Bush on Thursday his recommendation to vaccinate American troops against smallpox, but no decision has been made yet. According to one White House official, smallpox vaccination is a complex issue, and there are still questions that the Pentagon must answer. Under the Pentagon plan, as many as 500,000 troops would be vaccinated against smallpox. The first shots would go to emergency support troops, and then to troops designated for deployment to the Middle East and other high-risk areas. An aide said Thursday that Rumsfeld strongly favored the proposal.
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