Smallpox

DoD has begun mandatory smallpox vaccinations of military personnel, according to the Department of Defense's top health official. Dr. William Winkenwerder, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said immunizations started Dec. 12 and would continue "over the next weeks and months." He said DoD is concentrating initial immunizations on units with "high priority." He said National Guard and Reserve units would be added in the near future.

"There are a fairly large number of troops that have been identified as being the highest priority, the most important to vaccinate," he said. "We'll start with ... teams that would respond in the case of an attack, followed by military medical personnel, and then certain forces that we believe would be important to carry out any missions ... in the near future."

Smallpox is an acute, contagious, and sometimes fatal disease caused by the variola virus (an orthopoxvirus), and marked by fever and a distinctive progressive skin rash. In 1980, the disease was declared eradicated following worldwide vaccination programs. However, in the aftermath of the events of September and October, 2001, the U.S. government is taking precautions to be ready to deal with a bioterrorist attack using smallpox as a weapon. As a result of these efforts:

1. There is a detailed nationwide smallpox response plan designed to quickly vaccinate people and contain a smallpox outbreak, and
2. There is enough smallpox vaccine to vaccinate everyone who would need it in the event of an emergency.

Generally, direct and fairly prolonged face-to-face contact is required to spread smallpox from one person to another. Smallpox also can be spread through direct contact with infected bodily fluids or contaminated objects such as bedding or clothing. Rarely, smallpox has been spread by virus carried in the air in enclosed settings such as buildings, buses, and trains. Humans are the only natural hosts of variola. Smallpox is not known to be transmitted by insects or animals.

A person with smallpox is sometimes contagious with onset of fever (prodome phase), but the person becomes most contagious with the onset of rash. At this stage the infected person is usually very sick and not able to move around in the community. The infected person is contagious until the last smallpox scab falls off.

For more information on Small Pox see:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Smallpox
Clinical Images of Smallpox (Warning: Very Graphical)
Reactions after Smallpox Vaccination
Smallpox: Clinical and Epidemiologic Features

Source: Pentagon Has Begun Vaccinations Against Deadly Smallpox Virus - United States Department of Defense, December 13, 2002.