Posted on 10/26/2001 11:09:50 AM PDT by Freedom of Speech Wins
Friday October 26 1:31 PM ET
World Health Body Rules Out Mass Smallpox Jabs By Richard Waddington
GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday it remained opposed to mass inoculations for smallpox despite fears the virus could be used as a weapon of germ warfare.
Smallpox, once among the world's most lethal diseases, was eradicated over 20 years ago, but the recent anthrax attacks in the United States have raised concerns it could reappear.
However, the vaccine itself can have serious side effects and poses a greater health risk while there are no reported cases of smallpox worldwide, the WHO said.
An adverse reaction to the vaccine can kill one person in a million but there has been no incidence of smallpox since 1978.
``The risk of adverse effects is sufficiently high that mass vaccination is not warranted if there is no real risk of exposure,'' the WHO said in a statement.
The United Nations (news - web sites) body said it asked a committee of experts last week to review its policy guidelines and they had recommended no change. Only those at direct risk of contracting the disease, which used to be fatal in some 30% of cases, should be inoculated, the WHO said.
Smallpox is caused by the Variola major virus and its symptoms are fever, headache and widespread blisters. It is on a list of 11 diseases, including anthrax, that the WHO has warned could be used in a biological weapons attack.
So far three people have died and at least 11 others have been infected in the United States by anthrax delivered through the mail. US officials have said there could be a link between the attacks and last month's suicide hijackings in New York and Washington in which some 5,000 people are thought to have died.
Unlike anthrax, smallpox is highly contagious.
QUICK DETECTION
Another argument against mass inoculation is that the smallpox vaccine can be administered after the disease has been contracted, provided it is detected quickly, WHO head of communicable diseases David Heymann said.
The incubation period for smallpox is seven to 14 days and the vaccine is effective if given within four days of infection.
Most people over the age of 30 will already be protected because countries did not end inoculation until the 1970s.
``I think we can be confident public health systems would pick up the disease very rapidly,'' Heymann added.
The WHO estimates governments have a stockpile of some 90 million doses of smallpox vaccine but it is not known how much would still be usable. The vaccine is no longer made, but the United States and other governments have announced plans to seek fresh production.
Although the virus has been eradicated as a disease, there are still two high-security research facilities--one in the United States and another in Russia--where it is maintained. There have been reports that Iraq and North Korea (news - web sites) could also have samples
One person in a million can be killed by an adverse reation to the vaccine and they see that as greater than the risk that the majority of us could be possibly killed by a smallpox outbreak. Rather than let one in a million potentially die, they would prefer to see a million potentially die, I guess.
For some reason they think the public health system would detect an outbreak quickly, Yea right, sure.
Incubation period is 7 to 14 days, and vaccine is only effective if given within 4 days.
Furthermore the vaccine is only known to be good for 10 years, so how are people over 30 who had the vaccine 30 years ago protected?
We, the U.S. citizens are NOT being allowed to protect ourselves.
F____ the U.N.
Exactly.
With no small pox danger for decades, not vaccinating was a fine policy. That there have been no small pox epidemics despite no vaccinations for more than 20 years shows that.
But small pox does exist as a bio-weapon.
The threat is very real and immunization needs to take place again.
We did it for decades and it works and is safe.
About this, the US is now getting the needed doses of vaccines.
And I believe this is a decision made by President Bush. A Senator whose name I forget was on Don Imus this morning (he's the doctor) and said that Bush made the decision.
I believe Bush is showing necessary leadership and that when possible, immunizations will take place.
Thanks for posting this. It needs to be kept in the public eye.
For the rest: Freeper cowpox.
I'm still waiting for a source. It would be a great Sunday family outing.
I do agree that smallpox vaccinations are a good idea, unless they can come up with a foolproof monitoring system to detect smallpox attacks -- there may be only a 3-day window (7 to onset of smallpox at the earliest, minus 4 days for the vaccine to work) if the vacine is used after exposure.
The problem with smallpox is that there is likely no cure. Although Frist mentioned there is hope in some AIDS realted drugs and som newer experimental drugs ... Vaccination is a necessity to avoid it right now. Else once caught, you die.
2 posted on 10/26/01 11:12 AM Pacific by OWK
F____ the U.N.
3 posted on 10/26/01 11:13 AM Pacific by dubyaismypresident
Well, which is it?
I am old enough that I was innoculated for smallpox when I was a child.:)
I have read varying accounts of how effective such a vaccine would be against the risk of current infection.
I have an uncle who is a retired GP who has said (if my mother got the story correctly) that the type of vaccine we received as children might have varying periods of effectiveness--IOW, it might and might not still protect me.
Do you know if this is the case?
There is a 1 in a million death rate from small pox vaccine. Thus, vaccinating all 280 million Americans would kill about 280 people. In addition, there would be 10-100 times as many serious reactions (brain damage, widespread skin necrosis, etc). If Al-Qaeda, or Iraq or whoever truly has the means to use smallpox, then perhaps 280 deaths and several thousands serious casualties are worth it. How sure are we that they have it?
Additionally, with all due respect, there is a cure for smallpox--it is the vaccine. Those who receive the vaccine within 4 days of exposure, are likely to survive. See this thread to see how a potential outbreak in New York was treated in 1947 by mass vaccination--which wasn't started till after the initial case had died.
We need more vaccine--to treat an outbreak. I think mass vaccination of everyone right now is questionable, at best.
HarryK
We won't have 300 million doses of vaccine until late 2002. If a terrorist attack introduces the virus before then, there will be a stampede for the 30 million existing doses. The "connected" will survive.
All this is needless. Clinton should have produced an adequte supply several years ago. The threat was widely recognized at that time.
Why did Clinton do nothing?
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