Smallpox vaccine likely to kill Americans

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn3194

Smallpox vaccine likely to kill Americans
19:00 18 December 2002
Exclusive from New Scientist Print Edition
Debora MacKenzie

The mere threat of bioterrorism is likely to kill at least a handful of
Americans next year.

President George Bush announced on 13 December that a million US
citizens will be vaccinated against smallpox by early 2003. But the
precaution will be costly: the contagious vaccine will sicken and
almost certainly kill a few people. The only tested remedy is in short
supply and may not work for all adverse reactions.

The smallpox vaccine will first be given to half a million US troops
and a similar number of health workers. It will then be offered to up
to 10 million more health and emergency workers.

The vaccine consists of live vaccinia virus. In some people it can
cause inflammation of the brain, death of the skin around the
vaccination site or a severe form of eczema. And vaccinated people can
infect others for up to three weeks afterwards.

Two studies in the 1960s found that there were "life-threatening"
reactions in between 14 and 52 people per million vaccinated, and one
or two per million died. The side effects now will almost certainly be
more severe. Recently, Israel vaccinated 1500 healthcare workers, and
one suffered serious side effects. The numbers are too small to draw
any firm conclusions, but it is hardly encouraging.

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TC