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Few takers for smallpox vaccine to prevent monkeypox

Hospital Safety Connection, June 19, 2003

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Health officials in four states are offering the smallpox vaccine to residents to protect against monkeypox infection, but only a few decided to get shots after learning of potential side effects, the Associated Press reports.

Six Wisconsin residents received vaccinations June 16, while seven people in Kansas, New Jersey, and Missouri also received shots. Only a small number of people in Wisconsin were eligible for the vaccine; it was offered to people who have been in contact with animals or other people infected with monkeypox.

Monkeypox is a west African disease not previously seen in the Western Hemisphere. It is related to smallpox, but is not as lethal. Symptoms include rashes, chills, and fever. Officials believe prairie dogs sold as pets were infected in an Illinois pet shop by a Gambian giant rat imported from Africa; the prairie dogs may have been sold to buyers in 15 states.

No one has died from the outbreak, which was first detected in May. Officials have confirmed at least 16 human cases of monkeypox in the U.S., seven in Wisconsin, four in Indiana, and five in Illinois. Eighty-five suspected cases have been reported: 22 in Indiana, 37 in Wisconsin, 15 in Illinois, six in Kentucky, two in Ohio, and one each in Arizona, Kansas, and Missouri.

The vaccinations, recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, can prevent monkeypox if used within two weeks after exposure. At least two affected states, Ohio and Illinois, are not offering the smallpox vaccine to possible victims.

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