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Smallpox |
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(SEE ALSO HEALTH
CARE INDUSTRY AND INDOOR
AIR QUALITY LINKS) |
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Some workers are at risk of contracting diseases, such as HIV,
hepatitis, tuberculosis and lyme disease. Other workers might
be targeted with anthrax or smallpox. In the U.S., most workers
who are at risk of infection are covered by regulations that
require their employer to provide every possible protection.
Those regulations are frequently not followed, particularly
in small businesses. Workers who are exposed to possible infection
should take steps to determine whether their employer is complying
with the applicable regulations and, if necessary, take appropriate
action.
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Smallpox links |
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Smallpox Vaccination
Program Grapples with Compensation Questions —
In January, the Bush administration declared its intention
to vaccinate 500,000 healthcare workers against smallpox in
30 days. After six weeks, fewer than 13,000 had been vaccinated,
less than three percent of the program’s goal. The program’s
lack of success is largely due to the resistence of the healthcare
workers who are the intended recipients of the vaccine and
the unions that represent them. They are aware that the smallpox
vaccine is more dangerous than any other human vaccine, which
can produce approximately 50 life-threatening side effects,
and one or two deaths, for every million vaccinations.  (NYCOSH Update on Safety and Health,
March 14, 2003)
Questions, and More Questions about the Federal
Smallpox Vaccination Program — As the
federal smallpox vaccination plan gears up to begin offering
inoculations tomorrow, healthcare workers and safety and health
activists have more questions about the program than the Bush
administration has answers. Within the week before the vaccinations
were scheduled to begin on Jan. 24, calls for the program's
postponement were issued by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney
and the heads of five major unions -- American Federation
of Teachers, American Nurses Association, American Federation
of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Service
Employees International Union (SEIU) and International Association
of Fire Fighters. (NYCOSH Update on Safety and Health,
January 23, 2003)
Vaccine Plan Is Full of Holes —
President Bush plans to vaccinate 500,000 health care workers
against smallpox and then make the vaccine available to the
general public. Before the inoculations begin, the government
must answer some tough questions about the side effects and
the cost. According to official estimates, roughly one-third
of the people receiving the vaccine are likely to be made
sick enough to miss one or two days of work. And those estimates
may paint a mistakenly rosy picture, because they are based
on the pre-1970 experience with a population that was largely
immune to smallpox. Who is going to carry the financial burden
of the roughly 250,000 work days that health care workers
will lose? As it stands now, the workers will have to take
sick days or lose a day's pay or two, a significant burden.
The government should agree to cover these losses in advance.
(Daily News oped, December 23, 2002)
 NYCOSH
Takes Exception to Federal Smallpox Vaccination Plan
(December 2002)
Bioterrorism
and Smallpox Planning: Information and Voluntary Vaccination
(Journal of Medical Ethics, 2004)
Policy Statement on Smallpox
Vaccination (American Public Health Association, 2002)
Review of the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention's Smallpox Vaccination Program
Implementation, Letter Report #4 (Institute of Medicine,
August 12, 2003)
Smallpox
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Smallpox
(Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
Smallpox
and the Smallpox Vaccine: What You Need to Know (UCLA
Labor Occupational Safety and Health Program, 2003)
Smallpox:
The Disease, the Vaccine, Safety and Workplace Issues
(American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees)
The
Smallpox Threat: Considerations for Massachusetts Communities
(Massachusetts Municipal Association, February 2003)
Smallpox Vaccine and Heart Problems:
Important Interim Supplementary Information (Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, 2004)
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Smallpox news |
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National Programs to Vaccinate
for Smallpox Come to a Halt —
Government officials said today that both the civilian and
military smallpox vaccination programs had virtually come
to a halt, the military program because it has vaccinated
everyone it can and the civilian program because few people
volunteered for it.
(New York Times, June 19, 2003)
Experts Support Move to Curb Some Smallpox Vaccinations —
Medical experts said the government acted correctly
on Tuesday when it temporarily suspended smallpox vaccinations
for people with heart disease. The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention took the step because seven health workers developed
serious heart problems from 5 to 17 days after being vaccinated.
Although it is not known whether their problems were caused
by the vaccine, doctors said a link was biologically possible.
Three of the health workers had heart attacks, one fatal. Two
others had angina, chest pains caused by blocked arteries in
the heart. Two more had inflammation of the heart. (New York Times, March 27, 2003)
Smallpox Plan's Risks Debated — Organizations
representing nurses and other health care workers are asking
the Bush administration to reconsider many aspects of its smallpox
vaccination plan, including the use of a special needle that
they say is unsafe and outdated. Calls for re-evaluating the
campaign come as the program is off to a sputtering start and
federal lawmakers begin two days of testimony about the plan
-- and its problems -- Wednesday in Washington. (Newsday, January 29, 2003)
APHA Recommends Additional Protections as Nation Today
Rolls Out Its Smallpox Vaccination Program: Adequate Resources,
Liability Protections and Compensation Provisions Are Needed
— As the federal government today begins its smallpox vaccination
program, the American Public Health Association recommended
additional protections to assure safe and effective implementation
and renewed its call for a measured, deliberate approach. "It
is prudent for us to begin vaccinating the first 500,000 emergency
health workers," said Georges Benjamin, MD, FACP, executive
director of the American Public Health Association. "This
is an important step to further improve our public health preparedness
efforts. However civilian responders at the federal, state and
local level require and should be provided the same treatment
as military participants in any smallpox vaccination program."
(American Public Health Association
press release, January 24, 2003)
Unions
Call for Changes in Smallpox Vaccine Program —
Two of the nation's largest unions called on President Bush
yesterday to suspend smallpox vaccination of health care workers
until the administration agrees to provide medical screening
of volunteers and compensation for anyone injured by the vaccine.
One of the organizations, the Service Employees International
Union, said that unless the administration agrees, it will recommend
that its 750,000 members in the health sector not participate
in the vaccinations. Already, several prominent hospitals are
refusing to take part, citing safety concerns. (Washington Post,
Friday, January 17, 2003)
Review of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s
Smallpox Vaccination Program Implementation
(Institute of Medicine, Committee on Smallpox Vaccination Program
Implementation, January 16, 2003)
Officials Press Ahead With Smallpox Shots —
The government's smallpox vaccination program will proceed as
planned, federal health officials said yesterday, despite concerns
raised by an expert advisory group and calls for delay by unions
representing health care workers. (New York Times, January 18, 2003)
Unions Call for Changes in Smallpox Vaccine Program
— Two of the nation's largest unions called on President
Bush yesterday to suspend smallpox vaccination of health care
workers until the administration agrees to provide medical screening
of volunteers and compensation for anyone injured by the vaccine.
One of the organizations, the Service Employees International
Union, said that unless the administration agrees, it will recommend
that its 750,000 members in the health sector not participate
in the vaccinations. Already, several prominent hospitals are
refusing to take part, citing safety concerns. (Washington Post, Friday, January 17,
2003)
Medical Panel Has Doubts About Plan for Smallpox —
The government's plan for smallpox vaccinations is too rushed
and lacks adequate safeguards, according to a draft report by
a panel of independent medical experts convened to advise federal
health officials. ... Another issue that concerned the panel
was who will cover lost wages and medical expenses for people
who have adverse effects from the vaccine. The federal government
will not provide coverage, and, the panel noted, it is not clear
whether state worker's compensation laws will help. It urged
the disease centers and state health departments to clarify
the issue and to make sure that consent forms describe what
compensation is available. (New York Times, January 16, 2003)
NYCOSH
Takes Exception to Federal Smallpox Vaccination Plan — "The
nation needs a smallpox vaccination plan that doesn't make the
threat worse. I'm sorry to say that the President's plan doesn't
meet that standard," said William F. Henning, Jr., Chair
of the Board of Directors of the New York Committee for Occupational
Safety and Health (NYCOSH) today. "Under the President's
plan, half a million civilians are going to be in the first
wave of people vaccinated," continued Henning. "Every
one of them is a worker, and they must get at least as much
protection from the vaccination process as they get from any
other on-the-job hazard." "Unfortunately, none of
those essential protections is included in the President's plan.
Before the inoculations begin, the government needs to answer
some tough questions about the vaccine's side-effects and their
costs." (NYCOSH press release, December
13, 2002)
APHA Calls for Measured, Deliberate Approach to Smallpox
Vaccinations: Implementation of President's Plan Must Include
Public Education, Adequate Access to Health Care and Compensation
Provisions for Adverse Reactions — The American
Public Health Association today called for a measured, deliberate
approach to protecting the country against smallpox. "Vaccinating
public health response teams and emergency health workers now
is a prudent first step," said Georges C. Benjamin, MD,
FACP, executive director of the American Public Health Association.
"These workers are at highest risk and vaccinating these
teams will further improve our public health preparedness efforts.
But we must establish criteria based on risk, science and experience
before expanding the vaccination program to include others."
(American Public Health Association
press release, December 13, 2002)
Waiting for Bioterror — Just before the July
4 holiday this past summer, as National Guardsmen with sniffer
dogs monitored the nation's bridges and airports, Jerome Hauer,
an assistant secretary at the Health and Human Services Department,
dispatched a technician to Atlanta to set up a satellite phone
for the new director of the Centers for Disease Control. If
smallpox broke out, if phones failed, if the federal government
had to oversee mass vaccination of an urban center, Hauer would
have a way to communicate with the CDC director, who since last
fall has worked with him on health crises, particularly bioterror.
It was one of many precautions that might make the difference
between a manageable event and full-scale disaster. (The Nation, December 9, 2002)
Union Advocates Call for Safeguards As CDC Readies Smallpox
Vaccine Plan — With the announcement of
a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plan for voluntary
smallpox vaccinations expected imminently, two union safety
and health directors Nov. 25 called for safeguards to ensure
that the anti-bioterrorism effort does not bring more harm than
good to health care and emergency response workers. (Occupational Safety and Health Reporter,
November 28, 2002)
Smallpox Vaccinations 'Must Be Voluntary' —
As the White House readies a national smallpox vaccine plan,
representatives of nurses and firefighters -- who would be among
the first to receive the smallpox vaccinations -- this week
said they would strongly object to mandatory inoculations. Smallpox
inoculation carries a deadly risk. When administered in the
United States in the late 1960s, between 14 and 52 people per
million experienced potentially life-threatening reactions,
while one or two in a million died, according to the Atlanta-based
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (United Press International, November
27, 2002)
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