Federal health officials ordered that no one with a history of heart disease be vaccinated against small pox, after a Maryland woman died of a heart attack and six others became ill after being inoculated.
The seven had well documented cases of heart disease, but heart problems are not known to put people at greater risk of adverse reaction to smallpox vaccine, said Dr. Julie L. Gerberding, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health officials agreed to defer smallpox vaccination for people with heart disease even thou no definitive link between the vaccination and adverse reactions had been made and the cases had not been thoroughly studied.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.
The vaccine program has been criticized by some heath experts, who claim the vaccine’s known side effects makes it too risky for renewed use in the absence of a known smallpox threat.
(via New York Times)
Comments on this entry are closed.