Atlanta, GA – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee voted Wednesday to recommend a half million hospital workers – such as emergency room doctors and nurses — be inoculated against smallpox first. That breaks down to about 100 personnel across 5,000 hospitals in the country. Then the vaccine would be available to about 10 million other health care and emergency workers and finally to the general public.
The World Health Organization declared the global eradication of Smallpox in 1980, but some experts fear that terrorists have samples of the virus and could use it as a biological weapon. The larger plan being considered by the Bush administration would be the blueprint against a Smallpox attack. The vaccine can cause serious side effects, even death, is some patients. The final decision on the proposal will be made by the Bush administration.
(via The Associated Press)
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