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September 9, 2002

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Big Threat, Little Prevention"

Wall Street Journal Online (www.wsj.com) (09/09/02)

An editorial in the Wall Street Journal notes that President Bush is now faced with the decision of whether or not to accept the recommendation by Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson to give smallpox vaccinations only to emergency workers. Whereas an expert advisory panel would have limited the shots to 20,000 emergency personnel, Thompson's plan calls for the immunization of up to 500,000 hospital and emergency workers. However, the editorial also calls for letting the public decide on its own whether to be vaccinated, noting that three out of five Americans surveyed said they would agree to be immunized at this time.  The article cites the risks of denying such vaccinations, particularly as the medical community has said it is not prepared for a smallpox outbreak, and many physicians have never even seen the disease.  "We acknowledge that there are potentially serious risks from side effects [from the smallpox vaccine]," the editors write, "but a well-informed public is more than capable of weighing those against benefits."

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