A doctor doing the job of the media and the government.
I'd be interested to know if there were any media
at the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) meeting
of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP).
Pass this around.
Let me know if it fixed it. If it didn't, then I don't know what to do. Thanks, AM
It wiped the disease out of natural occurrence in the entire world. Yep, that's a pretty lousy record. (/sarcasm)
I suggest: screaming, running, yelling, panicking, etc.
Not panicking. But ...
Precautions and Contraindications
Before administering vaccinia vaccine, the physician should complete a thorough patient history to document the absence of vaccination contraindications among both vaccinees and their household contacts. Efforts should be made to identify vaccinees and their household contacts who have eczema, a history of eczema, or immunodeficiencies. Vaccinia vaccine should not be administered for routine nonemergency indications if these conditions are present among either recipients or their household contacts.
History or Presence of Eczema or Other Skin Conditions
Because of the increased risk for eczema vaccinatum, vaccinia vaccine should not be administered to persons with eczema of any degree, those with a past history of eczema, those whose household contacts have active eczema, or whose household contacts have a history of eczema. Persons with other acute, chronic, or exfoliative skin conditions (e.g., atopic dermatitis, burns, impetigo, or varicella zoster) might also be at higher risk for eczema vaccinatum and should not be vaccinated until the condition resolves.
Pregnancy
Live-viral vaccines are contraindicated during pregnancy; therefore, vaccinia vaccine should not be administered to pregnant women for routine nonemergency indications. However, vaccinia vaccine is not known to cause congenital malformations (63). Although <50 cases of fetal vaccinia infection have been reported, vaccinia virus has been reported to cause fetal infection on rare occasions, almost always after primary vaccination of the mother (64). Cases have been reported as recently as 1978 (55,65). When fetal vaccinia does occur, it usually results in stillbirth or death of the infant soon after delivery.
Altered Immunocompetence
Replication of vaccinia virus can be enhanced among persons with immunodeficiency diseases and among those with immunosuppression (e.g., as occurs with leukemia, lymphoma, generalized malignancy, solid organ transplantation, cellular or humoral immunity disorders, or therapy with alkylating agents, antimetabolites, radiation, or high-dose corticosteroid therapy [i.e., >2 mg/kg body weight or 20 mg/day of prednisone for >2 weeks] [66]). Persons with immunosuppression also include hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients who are <24 months posttransplant, and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients who are >24 months posttransplant but who have graft-versus-host disease or disease relapse. Persons with such conditions or whose household contacts have such conditions should not be administered vaccinia vaccine.
Persons Infected with HIV
Risk for severe complications after vaccinia vaccination for persons infected with HIV is unknown. One case of severe generalized vaccinia has been reported involving an asymptomatic HIV-infected military recruit after the administration of multiple vaccines that included vaccinia vaccine (58). Additionally, a 1991 report indicated that two HIV-infected persons might have died of a progressive vaccinia-like illness after treatment with inactivated autologous lymphocytes infected with a recombinant HIV-vaccinia virus (67). No evidence exists that smallpox vaccination accelerates the progression of HIV-related disease. However, the degree of immunosuppression that would place an HIV-infected person at greater risk for adverse events is unknown. Because of this uncertainty, until additional information becomes available, not vaccinating persons (under routine nonemergency conditions) who have HIV infection is advisable.
Infants and Children
Before the eradication of smallpox, vaccinia vaccination was administered routinely during childhood. However, smallpox vaccination is no longer indicated for infants or children for routine nonemergency indications.
Persons with Allergies to Vaccine Components
The currently available vaccinia vaccine (i.e., Dryvax) contains trace amounts of polymyxin B sulfate, streptomycin sulfate, chlortetracycline hydrochloride, and neomycin sulfate. Persons who experience anaphylactic reactions (i.e., hives, swelling of the mouth and throat, difficulty breathing, hypotension, and shock) to any of these antibiotics should not be vaccinated.
[I AM ALLERGIC TO SEVERAL OF THE MENTIONED DRUGS ABOVE, and have had hives and been hospitalized due to them. Plus, my son and I have eczema].
Vaccinia vaccine does not contain penicillin. Future supplies of vaccinia vaccine will be reformulated and might contain other preservatives or stabilizers. Refer to the manufacturer's package insert for additional information
Absolute quarantine means physical partitioning and isolation of a sufficient radius around the patient to minimize even casual risk. In plain English if the patient is discovered in Upper Manhattan, a 50 mile radius around the patient will be isolated by civil or military authorities.
In addition the proposed plan calls for a national, involutary curtailment of travel outside the area were you are located (not necessarily your home) at the time the emergency is declared.
So for you folks who plan to "head for the hills" rather than your doctor's office the hills are out if they are not within walking distance.
Military-grade smallpox is far more contagious and lethal than naturally occuring smallpox. It's like saying nuclear weapons are no threat because you can't make them with unrefined uranium.