EMBARGOED UNTIL 1:15 P.M.
February
19, 2003
(Little
Rock) -- Smallpox
vaccinations of public health personnel as voluntary first
responders started today as the Arkansas Department of Health
(ADH) implemented Phase I of the Arkansas Smallpox Pre-Event
plan.
Public
health vaccinators will continue the vaccinations of public
health and hospital response team volunteers through 20
clinics statewide in coming weeks.
Arkansas
and other states are conducting the vaccination effort at the
request of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) as part of a nationwide effort to prepare for a possible
terrorist attack involving the smallpox virus.
Vaccinations
began this afternoon when an “in-house” vaccination clinic
was held for approximately 40 ADH colleagues. The first to receive the vaccine in the clinic
was Dr. Fay Boozman, agency director.
“I
received the vaccine as a member of the state response team
and think it’s important to have teams ready to respond in
the unlikely event of a smallpox outbreak,” Dr Boozman said.
“Since September 11th and its terrible aftermath,
we have realized that as a nation we need to be better
prepared for the unthinkable horrors that terrorists might try
and unleash. Smallpox is just one of many threats.
As
of 8 a.m. today, 36 hospitals had agreed to participate in the
program, 18 have declined at this time and 26 have not yet
responded.
“Based
on revised preliminary figures, we have just under 1,700
volunteers for the vaccine, including around 300 ADH
colleagues statewide who have stepped forward,” Donnie
Smith, Bioterrorism Preparedness Team Leader, said. “All
volunteers will be carefully screened for contraindications at
each of the clinics and we are asking everyone to err on the
side of caution. Given the screening process and that we are
still waiting for 26 hospitals to respond, these numbers will
change.”
According
to Dr. Boozman, Phase I will help Arkansas prepare for the
unlikely event of a smallpox case in the state.
The people
who are being vaccinated in Phase I would have critically
important work to do during a smallpox attack. At least some
public health personnel need to be vaccinated so they can do
those jobs safely. They would immediately begin vaccinating
people who may have been exposed to the virus —working to
contain the spread of the illness. Hospital personnel need to
be vaccinated so they can begin caring for the sick.
“Arkansas
will be prepared to respond well to such an incident,” Dr.
Boozman said. “During Phase I our goals are to educate
hospitals and their teams about the smallpox vaccine;
establish the network between hospitals and public health to
ensure timely, effective responses; make Arkansans aware of
how we are preparing for a possible event; and get smallpox
response teams vaccinated so we will have responders who can
go into action immediately.”
Federal
officials have indicated that the vaccination effort may
eventually be expanded to include all health care workers and
public health personnel, as well as law enforcement and
emergency response personnel, emergency medical personnel, and
people who would key play a role in maintaining essential
services during an emergency.
However,
CDC hasn’t yet asked the states to develop plans for this
second phase of the vaccination effort, and states have
received no guidance on preparing a “Phase II” plan.
The
CDC Public Response Service hotline with vital information for
Arkansans is available at 888-246-2675 (English), 888-246-2857
(Español), or 866-874-2646 (TTY).
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NOTE:
Digital photographs of the vaccinations are posted on
the ADH website at http://www.healthyarkansas.com/news/news.html.
Media may download and use the images with related articles
with the following credit: “Photo provided by Arkansas
Department of Health.”
 |
| Above
center, Dr. Fay Boozman, ADH director, receives
the smallpox vaccine from ADH nurse Linda Gladden.. |
| |
 |
| Above
left, Dr. William Mason, ADH Bioterrorism Preparedness
Team medical officer, receives the smallpox vaccine
from ADH nurse Linda Gladden. |
|
