| December
6, 2002
(Little
Rock)---State
Health Director Dr. Fay Boozman announced that the Arkansas
Department of Health’s (ADH) Bioterrorism Preparedness Team
has submitted the Arkansas Post-Event Smallpox Plan:
Recognize, Respond, Report to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC).
The purpose of the plan is to describe the process and
logistical considerations for recognizing, reporting and
responding to any type of smallpox event.
In the event of a confirmed smallpox outbreak, rapid
vaccination of the public will be required.
A large-scale smallpox vaccination effort would be
initiated following the approval of the federal Secretary of
Health and Human Services.
According to Boozman, “The Arkansas Department of
Health is doing everything within our power to prepare
Arkansas for a biological event. The Health Department has initiated partnerships with
hospitals, emergency workers and local governments to ensure
we are ready to take whatever action is necessary to protect
Arkansans.” Since
there have been no documented cases of smallpox in the world
since 1977, there are NO plans to vaccinate the general
population at this time.
Counties
are also working with community partners to develop county
pharmaceutical dispensing plans for a January 6, 2003 deadline
for inclusion in the state post-event plan.
They will be identifying critical elements and
partnerships to develop plans for their communities.
Local dispensing plans are a critical response
component to biological events. The next step will be to
exercise and evaluate these plans in order to provide the most
appropriate response.
The
state is also developing its Arkansas Pre-Event
Smallpox Plan, which would be activated in the absence
of an outbreak and at the direction of the President.
The plan will be developed and implemented in order to
initiate the process of smallpox vaccination for identified
individuals within the state.
The
Pre-Event Plan includes three phases:
Phase
I of
the Arkansas Pre-Event Smallpox Plan will be
implemented within 30 days of President Bush’s announcement
to begin smallpox vaccination.
This will include public health response teams and
hospital response teams and vaccinators so they can respond to
an outbreak without risk of contracting smallpox.
Phase
II of
the Arkansas Pre-Event Smallpox Plan will
provide vaccinations to additional emergency responders, law
enforcement, emergency medical services, hospital personnel,
fire fighters, HAZMAT teams and other health professionals
Phase
III of
the Arkansas Pre-Event Smallpox Plan details the
vaccination of the general public.
The federal government will determine if and when Phase
III will be implemented.
Should Phase III be implemented, vaccination
sites, vaccine distribution plans and surveillance systems
will already be identified in order to facilitate the process.
All
phases are based on voluntary participation.
Both
plans will be incorporated in the state’s Emergency Response
Plan and ADH will continue to work with local, state and
federal agencies to improve response efforts.
According
to Donnie Smith, ADH Bioterrorism Team Leader, “ADH has
prioritized all efforts for bioterrorism preparedness.
State and county teams have been working for months to
prepare Arkansas for a potential biological event.
Our communities have risen to the challenge and
partnerships among hospitals, public health, local government,
emergency response and others have begun to take shape.”
Public
health officials emphasize that, whether smallpox vaccinations
are provided prior to an outbreak or in response to one, the
decision to be vaccinated is a personal and voluntary one.
In unvaccinated individuals, the most common type of
smallpox may cause death in three out of every 10 people.
Fortunately,
the smallpox vaccine is very effective at preventing diseases,
however, it is not without risk.
Out of every one million people vaccinated, one or two
may die as a result of adverse reactions to the vaccine.
It is critical that everyone who decides to get the
vaccine be closely screened for conditions that would put them
at risk and will be advised not to be vaccinated.
Those who would be advised NOT to be vaccinated as a
pre-event measure include people with the following conditions
AND those who live with someone who has such a condition:
-
Expectant
mothers;
-
People
with eczema or atopic dermatitis;
-
People
with weakened immune systems ( some examples are persons
with HIV, persons receiving chemotherapy for cancer,
people on long term steroid medication, people on
kidney dialysis, etc.);
-
People
who have had an organ transplant;
-
People
who are allergic to the vaccine or any of its ingredients;
and
-
People
who have a moderate or severe short-term illness.
The
CDC and Dr. Boozman emphasize that, given the high mortality
rate associated with smallpox, people who have actually been
exposed to the virus should receive the vaccine regardless of
their health condition.
For
more information on smallpox and the smallpox vaccine, go to
the CDC website at http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/smallpox.
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