Health professionals challenge US smallpox vaccination plan

Plans to start vaccinating half a million US healthcare workers against smallpox as early as this week are facing growing resistance, as some hospitals, unions, and professional bodies question the rushed nature of the implementation.

The US federal government, unlike authorities in the United Kingdom, has recommended the immunisation of millions of health and emergency workers against the threat of a potential bioterrorist attack, with phase 1 expected to start on 24 January. The plans have sparked ongoing public debate (BMJ 2002;325: 794), largely because of the dangers associated with the smallpox vaccine, …