Fw: Doctors Are Ironing Out Details for Giving the Smallpox Vaccine

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----- Original Message ----- From: ilena rose

ilena@...

Sent: Wednesday, January 15, 2003 8:48 AM

Subject: Doctors Are Ironing Out Details for Giving the Smallpox Vaccine

This is vitally important information for women in our group:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/15/health/15SMAL.htmlEXCERPT:The group also expanded the categories of people who should not bevaccinated. It had already said that people with autoimmune diseaseslike lupus and rheumatoid arthritis should not be vaccinated if theyare taking drugs to suppress the immune system. Yesterday, the groupsaid it would recommend that some people with severe autoimmunediseases, even if they are not taking medication, should also avoidthe vaccine.Doctors Are Ironing Out Details for Giving the Smallpox VaccineBy DENISE GRADYith smallpox vaccinations for half a million health and emergencyworkers scheduled to begin later this month, doctors advising thegovernment were still ironing out details yesterday of who shouldavoid the vaccine and how it should be given.In a conference call, the group, the Advisory Committee onImmunization Practices, addressed questions yesterd ay that had beenraised about draft recommendations the committee developed in October.Its final recommendations will be presented to the Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention, which usually follows the committee's advice.One issue was whether people living with infants under a year oldshould be vaccinated. In its draft, the group said such adults couldsafely be immunized. But babies that young should not be vaccinated,because they are vulnerable to dangerous reactions. Some experts fearthat a vaccinated adult could infect a baby with the vaccine virus,vaccinia, which is related to smallpox and can be shed from theinoculation site.That concern led Dr. R. Frieden, the New York City healthcommissioner, to urge the committee in December to advise peopleliving with infants not to be vaccinated. Dr. Frieden said the infantof a vaccinated health care worker in Israel had recently becameinfected and t hat in the 1947 outbreak in New York City two infantsdied after adults in their homes were vaccinated. But Dr. Seymour of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, whoparticipated in the conference call, presented information fromstudies in the 1960's, when smallpox vaccination was routine, showingthat vaccinia transmission from adults to infants was very rare.The group agreed with Dr. and let its recommendation stand,but it acknowledged that some states or cities might choose to excludepeople with infants. Mullin, a spokeswoman for New York's health department, said,"While we will not exclude individuals with infants fromparticipating, we will continue to advise against it."The group also expanded the categories of people who should not bevaccinated. It had already said that people with autoimmune diseaseslike lupus and rheumatoid arthritis should not be vaccinated if theyar e taking drugs to suppress the immune system. Yesterday, the groupsaid it would recommend that some people with severe autoimmunediseases, even if they are not taking medication, should also avoidthe vaccine.To administer the vaccine, the group recommends the practice ofjabbing a person in the arm 15 times with a two-pronged needle, eventhough Wyeth, which makes the vaccine, said it would probablyrecommend only two or three jabs for those getting it for the firsttime.

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