Bush Unveils Smallpox Vaccination Plan against Bioterror Attacks

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, December 14, 2002

Bush Unveils Smallpox Vaccination Plan against Bioterror Attacks

United States President George W. Bush unveiled a plan Friday to give the smallpox vaccine to US military personnel and emergency workers to guard against the threat of a biological warfare attack.

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United States President George W. Bush unveiled a plan Friday to give the smallpox vaccine to US military personnel and emergency workers to guard against the threat of a biological warfare attack.

"Our government has no information that a smallpox attack is imminent, yet it is prudent to prepare for the possibility that terrorists who kill indiscriminately would use diseases as a weapon," Bush said.

Under the plan, about 500,000 military personnel and a similar number of emergency workers most likely to be exposed to the virus in a bioterror attack will get the smallpox vaccinations within weeks.

Bush said he'll also receive the vaccine himself as the military and "other personnel who serve America in high-risk parts of the world" get the vaccination.

"As commander in chief, I do not believe I can ask others to accept this risk unless I am willing to do the same. Therefore, I will receive the vaccine along with our military."

Eventually, the vaccine will be made available to the general public on a voluntary basis, which is not expected to happen until 2004. Bush said he decided not to recommend a broader vaccination program for all Americans at this time.

"Neither my family nor my staff will be receiving the vaccine because our health and national security experts do not believe a vaccination is necessary for the general public," he said.

In 1980, the World Health Organization declared that smallpox had been completely eradicated, and since then there has not been a single natural case of the disease anywhere in the world.

But experts fear the remaining samples of the virus could have found their way into the hands of potential enemies and could be used in a terror attack. "We believe that regimes hostile to the United States may possess this dangerous virus," Bush said.

Scientists say the smallpox vaccine presents a risk of side effects that include death in about one to two cases per million.

After Bush announces his plan, federal health officials will begin a national television ad campaign as part of an effort to help people decide whether to be vaccinated.

Polls, including one released Wednesday, show most people would get the vaccine if given the chance. But health officials fear that many people do not adequately understand the risks.

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