Immunization Newsbriefs (c) Copyright Information Inc., Bethesda, MD. Brought to you by the National Network for Immunization Information (NNii). Visit NNii's new website at http://www.immunizationinfo.org.

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September 30, 2002

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"'Trying to Vaccinate Against Fear'"

Baltimore Sun (www.sunspot.net) (09/27/02) P. 1B; Walker, Childs

Frederick County, Md., recently held a drill at Hood College to simulate a smallpox outbreak as part of its efforts to ready itself for a possible bioterrorism attack.  The federal government says that such an attack could leave counties on their own for as much as three days in dealing with an outbreak, and public health and biological defense experts say that Frederick County is well-prepared.  Cardiologist Dr. John Vitarello, who helped put together Frederick's smallpox response plan, wants to conduct similar tests for other forms of attack, and county officials say the drill and planning found a number of potential problems, such as quarantine sites with incorrect ventilation and a lack of protective suits, which were fixed.  In addition, because the county's public health staff would not be able to operate both the quarantine and the vaccination centers, officials have proposed moving doctors from Frederick Memorial to the centers and also recruiting retired nurses, doctors, and veterinarians to administer shots and monitor those who may have been infected with smallpox.

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