Panel urges small teams of vaccinated smallpox responders

ATLANTA - A key panel rejected smallpox vaccinations for the general public Thursday, instead urging states to create teams of first responders to bioterrorism and vaccinate them against the deadly virus. <br> <br> The recommendation by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which sets U.S. vaccine policy, came after two days of hearings on the threat of a smallpox attack -- and the dangerous side effects caused by the vaccine. <br> <br> The panel had previously recommended smallpox vaccine only for scientists who handle the virus. But federal health officials asked them to reconsider after September eleventh and the anthrax attacks. <br> <br> Under the plan, states would designate smallpox response teams -- probably including doctors, disease detectives, nurses, lab workers and law enforcement -- who would be first to investigate a suspected terrorist release of the virus. <br> <br> States would also be allowed to vaccinate staff at pre-designated hospitals where patients with confirmed cases of smallpox could be treated. <br> <br> The government estimates the number of people vaccinated under the plan would be in the thousands. <br> <br> But vaccinating every American against the virus without a credible threat of its widespread release was judged too risky. <br> <br> The vaccine can cause severe rashes, brain swelling and death, particularly in people with skin disorders and immune diseases like HIV. An estimated 300 people would die from side effects if the whole nation were vaccinated.

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