November 12, 2002

NASHVILLE (AP) - Vanderbilt University, along with universities in Ohio and Iowa, is testing the strength of a long-stored smallpox vaccine in response to fears that Iraq will use the deadly disease for biological warfare against U.S. troops.

Vanderbilt last month vaccinated about 150 people, ages 18 to 32, with the Aventis Pasteur smallpox vaccine as part of the trial.

Researchers are keeping the inoculation wounds from healing to find out whether those vaccinated are contagious to other people, said Vanderbilt infectious diseases researcher Tom Talbot.

So far, "we haven't had any cases of spread to household contacts, spouses and so on," Talbot said. "That's because we are preaching meticulous hand hygiene."

Researchers are also testing the effectiveness and dosage of the vaccine, he said.

Vanderbilt, the University of Cincinnati and the University of Iowa are conducting the trials under the looming prospect of war and federal-mandated preparations to safeguard Americans against smallpox.

Last week, under Bush Administration deadlines, Tennessee Health Department officials announced a plan to designate 117 Tennessee emergency clinic sites and 20,000 volunteer workers to staff them by Feb. 28.

Smallpox was declared eradicated from Earth in 1980, and routine vaccinations in the United States ended in 1972.

All stocks of the virus, except those stored at official labs in Atlanta and Moscow, were supposedly destroyed. U.S. officials have said they believe Iraq has unauthorized samples of smallpox, along with North Korea and France.

Smallpox can be a powerful weapon: It kills 30 percent of its victims, is highly contagious and has no known treatment.

The vaccine, made with a live virus called vaccinia, also has risks. Health officials estimate that about 15 out of every 1 million people vaccinated will face life-threatening side effects, and one or two of those 15 will die.

The part of the body that receives the vaccination, usually the arm or shoulder, becomes itchy, and people scratching and then touching other things could contaminate others. A special bandage - very sticky and cellophane-clear - is being used in the trials in an attempt to avoid that.

Volunteers, which include paramedics, a veterinarian and a paralegal, reported feeling lethargic about a week after the inoculation.

Vanderbilt graduate student Chad O'Leary, 22, said he developed sores on his back and acne. "I feel like I'm 14," he said.

Joe Schuchter, an epidemiologist for the state Health Department, said he volunteered to "allay public fear."

"I believe in science, and the best way to calm public anxiety is to acquire knowledge," he said.