BMJ 2003;326:447 ( 22 February )

Letters

WHO advocates investment in global infrastructure for outbreaks such as smallpox

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR---In their editorial describing the interim smallpox guidelines for the United Kingdom Harling et al ask how countries lacking the public health infrastructure to respond to outbreaks and without vaccine supplies would be able to control an outbreak of smallpox.1

Confronted with the threat of intentional release of biological agents, the World Health Organization advocates dual use investment in public health infrastructure to strengthen outbreak intelligence and verification, support the response to an outbreak, maintain an emergency vaccine reserve, and provide public health information.

In 2002 the World Health Assembly urged countries to share expertise, supplies, and resources, and asked WHO to develop collective mechanisms to contain or mitigate the impact of such a global health threat.2 Since the successful eradication programme ended in 1979 WHO has managed an emergency stockpile of smallpox vaccine, which now consists of some 500 000 doses.3 Access to stockpiled vaccine is restricted to containing epidemiologically . . . [Full text of this article]
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Relevant Article

Interim smallpox guidelines for the United Kingdom
Richard Harling, Dilys Morgan, W John Edmunds, and Helen Campbell
BMJ 2002 325: 1371-1372. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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Clarifications
Cathy Roth, et al.
bmj.com, 6 Mar 2003 [Full text]
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