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NZ set to counter smallpox threat

23 November 2002

By MARIANNE BETTS

New Zealand may begin stockpiling smallpox vaccine – at a likely cost of more than $170 million – as the threat of bioterrorism looms, the Health Ministry says.
 

Smallpox, a highly contagious disease with a 30 per cent death rate, has emerged as a potential threat since the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Humans have virtually no immunity because vaccination ended in most of the Western world in the 1970s when the disease was believed to be wiped out. Experts believe illegal stocks exist in Iraq, North Korea, Russia and France, and could fall into the hands of terrorists.

The United States, Britain, Israel and Australia have stockpiled the vaccine, and the New Zealand Government has been criticised for its failure to import it to protect New Zealanders.

The Health Ministry's deputy director general of public health, Don Matheson, said New Zealand was talking to manufacturers about a new and more effective vaccine with fewer side-effects than the one commonly available. It would cost more than $170 million to vaccinate the entire population, he said. The new vaccine was expected to be imported early next year.

A ministry spokesman said the $170 million – which would come from a one-off government cash injection – would cover the cost of the vaccine and the national immunisation programme.

However, he said it was too early to know if just a few thousand doses would be imported or enough to protect everybody.

The vaccine offers full immunity for three to five years.

Almost everyone who takes the existing vaccine suffers an adverse reaction – ranging from slight fever and other flu-like symptoms, to death. If the entire population was vaccinated now, statistics indicate that eight people would die.

Dr Matheson said though the risk of a bioterrorism attack in New Zealand was low, the ministry was constantly assessing the situation and had emergency plans in place.

The ministry was communicating with international health agencies which could help in the event of an attack. Ministry communicable disease adviser Doug Lush said there was not one smallpox vaccine in New Zealand yet, but should an outbreak occur, a vaccine could be brought in quickly as it still protected after exposure to the virus.

Dr Lush said though it was unlikely smallpox would be released in New Zealand, the disease could be brought in by travellers because it was highly contagious and had an incubation period of 12 to 14 days. Smallpox was declared eradicated in 1980, and the last case in New Zealand was reported in 1925.

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