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October 11, 2002

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Federal Officials Debate Whether to Recommend, or Simply Offer, Smallpox Vaccine" Associated Press (www.ap.org) (10/11/02); Meckler, Laura

Regardless of whether the debate over mass smallpox immunization results in officially advising everyone to obtain it or merely making it available and allowing people to decide for themselves, one thing that officials do seem to agree on is a massive education program once the decision is made.  Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that while detailed information will be made directly available to physicians as well as to the public, officials will want to continue offering recommendations, tailored over time, as more is learned about vaccine side effects and as the threat status of a bioterrorist becomes higher or lower.  Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, former head of the CDC, also noted that without a specific recommendation on such a complex issue, individuals with more education could get more information than those who are less educated, and therefore may make different decisions.

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