- Jeff - I rest my case! Didn't we say that this was going
to happen? We discussed this on the air as part of the reasons to NOT have
mass smallpox vaccinations. The press actually played down the contact
vaccinia risk and we were only told about possible reactions to the vaccine
of those taking the vaccine. I had been trying to publicize the risk to
NONvaccinated people.
-
- Unfortunately, I believe that this is only the beginning,
i.e. if the mass innoculations of smallpox begin.
-
- Tansmisison could be a simple as newly-vaccinated person
touching the innoculation spot or changing the bandage then (forgetting
to wash their hands) touching something then a nonvaccinated person thouches
that same thing. More then likely, the nonvaccinated person then touched
their eye in this case.
-
- Bush's Mass Smallpox vaccination plan is a bad plan.
I would have understood stockpiling vaccine, in the event of an outbreak,
but not mass vaccinations before an outbreak.
-
- Incidently, I see that there are now stores selling all
sorts of chem/bioterrorism preparedness items. "Let the buyer beware!"
-
- Patricia Doyle
-
-
- From ProMED-mail
- 3-1-03
-
- Source: New York Times - AP 1 Mar 2003 [edited]
- http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Smallpox-Vaccinations.html</
FONT>
-
-
- Patient Has Smallpox Related Infection
-
- Doctors in California are trying to determine how an
adult's eye became infected with the same virus used in the military's
smallpox vaccination program.
-
- The patient, who has not been identified, had been in
close contact with someone who had been inoculated, health officials said.
However, Dr. Jonathan Fielding, Los Angeles County's director of public
health, said it remained unclear exactly how the patient became infected.
-
- The vaccine is made with a live virus that can be spread
by touching a vaccination site before it has healed or by touching bandages,
clothing or other material contaminated with the live virus.
-
- "We really don't know how it happened -- it could
have happened in a variety of ways," Fielding said. "What's important
is they had direct contact with the person, rather than this being something
that was just in the air."
-
- Public health officials have declined to release the
patient's gender or age, but have said the patient's condition was improving.
-
- It was the first known case in California linked to the
national drive to vaccinate emergency health workers and military personnel.
-
- In Florida, officials are investigating medical problems
among 3 health care workers who became ill after receiving the vaccine.
Only one appears to have had a reaction to the inoculation, with the other
2 experiencing symptoms not normally related to the inoculations.
-
- (see Smallpox Vaccine Adverse Events Among Civilians
--- United States, February 18--24, 2003, MMWR 28 Feb 2003. 52(08);156-157
http://www.cdc.gov/
mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5208a4.htm - Mod.MPP)
-
- As of last week, 7354 people had been vaccinated in 38
states and Los Angeles and New York, which are running separate programs.
-
- In the military, where more than 100 000 people have
been vaccinated, there have been 5 serious reactions. All 5 men are in
good condition, officials said. In most cases, the symptoms were not severe.
- _____
-
- ProMED-mail
- promed@promedmail.org
-
- As there are increasing numbers of people vaccinated
with the smallpox vaccine, not unexpectedly we are beginning to see reports
of some significant adverse events. This is the first mention of an adverse
event occurring in a contact of a recent vaccinee in the USA (in the ProMED-mail
posting Smallpox vaccination strategy - Israel (03) 20021222.6113 there
is discussion about 2 cases of generalized vaccinia in contacts of recent
vaccinees in Israel in 2002). In an AP newswire on 1 Feb 2003, there was
mention of one case of generalized vaccinia and one case of encephalitis
in military personnel vaccinated with the smallpox vaccine. The above newswire
mentions there were 5 cases of serious adverse events. Anecdotally we learned
of a recent male vaccinee (an infectious disease physician) who commented
he was having difficulty in keeping the protective dressing on because
of thick body hair preventing the adhesive from sticking. While this was
mentioned in levity, the occurrence of a vaccinial opthalmic infection
in a contact of a recent vaccinee should serve as a reminder of the need
to ensure that protective dressings are on securely, and in the case of
hirsute individuals, shaving the vaccination site and surrounding area
to permit a protective dressing to adhere might be considered. - Mod.MPP
-
- Patricia A. Doyle, PhD
- Please visit my "Emerging Diseases" message
board at:
- http://www.clickitnews.com/emergingdiseases/index.shtml
- Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa
- Go with God and in Good Health
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