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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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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.
"A foolish faith in authority is the worst enemy of truth."
-- Albert Einstein, letter to a friend, 1901
"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education."
-- Thomas Jefferson, letter to William C. Jarvis, September 28, 1820
"What's the point of vaccination if it doesn't protect you from the unvaccinated?"
-- Sandy Gottstein
"Who gets to decide what the greater good is and how many will be sacrificed to it?"