 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
John Iskander, MD, MPH, National Immunization Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333, 404-639-8889, jiskander@cdc.gov
Civilian smallpox vaccination in the United States ceased in 1972, and the World Health Organization declared smallpox eradicated in 1980. Because of concerns about re-emergence of bioterrorist smallpox, a federally directed program of state/local health deparments for smallpox vaccination began in January 2003. Smallpox vaccine is known to cause rare but serious adverse reactions, including potentially life threatening reactions (eczema vaccinatum and progressive vaccinia). Concern exists that the vaccine's adverse event profile could be significantly different than when the vaccine was last routinely used because of an aging population with an increased number of immuosuppressed individuals. Improved surveillance for smallpox vaccine adverse events will provide key data needed to implement smallpox vaccination as safely as possible, and may identify vaccine contraindications and precautions not previously recognized. Information reported from states to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) was used in conjunction with active surveillance and other data sources to establish rates for specific adverse reactions among the current U.S. population. Although a causal association between vaccination and adverse cardiac events in the civilian population is unproven, as a precautionary measure, CDC now recommends that persons with physician-diagnosed cardiac disease with or without symptoms be excluded from vaccination during this smallpox preparedness program. An additional goal of coordinated smallpox vaccine safety surveillance is to provide an up-to-date understanding of the safety profile of the currently licensed smallpox vaccine. This information will be of great assistance in weighing the risks and benefits of expanded pre-event smallpox vaccination or mass vaccination in the setting of a smallpox disease emergency.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Bioterrorism, Immunizations
Related Web page: www.cdc.gov/smallpox
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.