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New York State Postpones Smallpox Program
Mar 27, 2003 11:04 am US/Eastern
(1010 WINS)
(ALBANY)
New York has temporarily postponed its smallpox vaccination clinics as the federal government investigates a possible link between the vaccine and heart disease, health officials said Thursday.
The state halted its smallpox vaccinations scheduled for next week as well as education sessions that front-line health care workers are supposed to receive before the inoculation, said Kristine Smith, a state health department spokeswoman.
The move Wednesday came a day after the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that people with heart disease not get vaccinated after a Maryland woman died of a heart attack and six others became ill after being inoculated.
Up to 120 volunteer public health and hospital workers across central New York were scheduled to roll up their sleeves next Tuesday. The clinics were put on hold after the department consulted with the state, said Onondaga County Health Commissioner Dr. Lloyd Novick.
The vaccination has never been associated with heart problems before. Under the CDC's new, temporary guidelines, people who have been diagnosed with serious heart disease such as coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, previous heart attack and angina are being told not to get the vaccine.
The vaccine, which contains the live vaccinia virus, carries rare but serious risks. Experts estimate that 15 to 50 people out of every 1 million vaccinated for the first time will face life-threatening complications, and one or two will die.
Last month, about 110 volunteers in New York received the shot. State health officials aimed to immunize in stages up to 16,000 health care workers, who would then become part of response teams treating patients or tracking the spread of a disease after a bioterrorist attack.
(© MMIII Infinity Broadcasting Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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