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CDC tracks first cases of smallpox vaccine reactions

Emergency Management Alert, March 6, 2003

Three people vaccinated against smallpox developed symptoms that could constitute an adverse reaction to the inoculations, according to a Reuters report.

None of the cases is life threatening and two could be associated with other conditions, but officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are keeping close watch on the reactions. A 39-year-old female nurse developed a general rash that could be generalized vaccinia, a skin infection caused by the vaccine. In addition, a 60-year-old man developed chest pain and in a third possible case, an individual suffered acute gallbladder inflammation that resulted in removal of the gallbladder.

All three people live in Florida, officials said. They are among the 7,354 civilian health care and public health workers vaccinated against smallpox. The Department of Health and Human Services hopes to eventually vaccinate 450,000 health care workers, but some are resisting because of the possible health risks.

The rash is a well-known side effect of the vaccine, but chest pain and gallbladder problems are not. The man with chest pain received angioplasty to clear a clogged artery, while the woman's rash is healing. She was not hospitalized.

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