Doctors poorly informed on smallpox, survey finds

ATLANTA - A survey has found that doctors are poorly informed about the dangerous side effects of the smallpox vaccine and the government&#39;s plan to control an outbreak if terrorists release the deadly agent. <br> <br> The survey was commissioned by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It found that young doctors in particular -- those too young to remember the last human case of smallpox -- have relatively little knowledge of the disease. <br> <br> The CDC hired a private company last month to conduct one-hour interviews with 17 physicians in Philadelphia, Chicago and San Francisco. The findings were released Thursday. <br> <br> The interviews revealed many doctors mistakenly believe smallpox vaccine is as safe as common childhood vaccines, such as measles shots. In fact, smallpox vaccine can cause crippling and sometimes fatal side effects. <br> <br> Smallpox was eradicated more than two decades ago. The U.S. and Russian governments hold small stockpiles of the virus, and some experts fear it could fall into the hands of terrorists seeking to kill thousands.

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