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Researchers find weakened smallpox vaccine is safer

Hospital Safety Connection, July 18, 2003

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A new study found that two weakened versions of the smallpox vaccine appear to work safely and just as effective as the vaccine currently used, Reuters reports.

The researchers, led by Igor Belyakov of the National Cancer Institute, also found that the vaccines could be given through the nose instead of using the current method that requires up to 15 needle scratches on the patient's arm.

The study compared Wyeth DryVax vaccine, which is currently used, with two others: Modified Vaccine Ankara and a genetically weakened vaccine called NYVAC made by Aventis-Pasteur.

DryVax uses a live relative of the smallpox virus, called vaccinia, which physicians believe could cause severe sickness and death if used in the general population. The two vaccines tested in the study use a weakened form of the virus.

The federal government is vaccinating 500,000 troops and thousands of health care workers against smallpox. A federal panel recommended against expanding the program to 10 million emergency workers because of potential cardiac side effects. Health officials previously knew that the vaccine, made from a live virus, carries a risk of life-threatening complications that kill one or two people out of every million vaccinated. Since health workers began receiving vaccinations in January, six have had heart attacks and two of those victims died.

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