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U.S. funds development of safer smallpox vaccine

Hospital Safety Connection, February 27, 2003

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The U.S. government on February 25 awarded $20 million in contracts to rival companies to develop a smallpox vaccine safe enough for pregnant women, people with weak immune systems, and others, according to Reuters.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) contracted with Bavarian Nordic A/S of Copenhagen, Denmark, and Acambis of Cambridge, MA.

Since beginning its effort to vaccinate health care workers last month, the government has seen resistance from workers concerned about possible side effects from the vaccine. In people with weakened immune systems, the vaccine can cause severe and even deadly side effects. The HHS currently uses the Wyeth DryVax vaccine.

As of last week, 4,213 people had been vaccinated, but HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson originally predicted most, if not all, 450,000 health workers would be vaccinated by this week. Unions and other groups representing health workers oppose the vaccination program because there are no provisions for compensation and time off for workers who take ill after getting vaccinated.

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