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For Your Health

The U.S. government stopped mandatory smallpox vaccinations in 1972 because the rate of adverse effects, including death, was too high since there had not been a smallpox outbreak in this country since 1949.

Should you volunteer to be vaccinated?

Let our checklist,  fact sheet,  and decision tree help you decide.

4/29/03 -- New York Times, Report Faults Federal Officials for Problems in Smallpox Program   (View the report -- *Acrobat required)

4/11/03 -- Washington Post, Lawmakers, White House Agree on Smallpox Compensation

4/3/03 -- Newsday, U.S. Sticks It to Workers on Vaccination Funds 

4/1/03 -- Los Angeles Times, House Defeats Compensation Plan for Smallpox Vaccinations; Opponents say the GOP bill was not generous enough to attract health-care workers

3/31/03 -- Congressional Quarterly Daily Monitor, House Democrats Oppose Smallpox Compensation Bill as Inadequate 

3/29/03 -- Washington Post, 2 States Halt Smallpox Shots; Pentagon Reports First Post-Inoculation Fatal Heart Attack

3/27/03 -- Bloomberg News, Second Death Follows Smallpox Vaccination, CDC Says

3/27/03 -- Washington Post, Cardiac Cases Raise New Vaccination Questions

3/6/03 -- Los Angeles Times, Plan Compensates Health Workers Hurt by Smallpox Vaccine

3/5/03 -- HHS Press Release, HHS Proposes Smallpox Vaccination Compensation Plan

2/27/03 -- Chicago Tribune, CDC reports on smallpox vaccine effects

2/24/03 -- Washington Post, Bush Smallpox Innoculation Plan Near Standstill

2/12/03 -- The Associated Press State & Local Wire, With fewer volunteers, smallpox plan will change 

2/11/03 -- The Tennessean, Don Driscoll: We must address the risks of smallpox vaccines (Don Driscoll is the president of SEIU Local 205, Tennessee's public-service and health-care union.)

2/7/03 -- New York Times, Many Balking at Vaccination for Smallpox

1/31/03 -- The Associated Press, At least one soldier has serious reaction to smallpox vaccine

1/31/03 -- Daily Labor Report, Senators Plan to Work on Legislation For Smallpox Vaccination Compensation

1/29/03 -- Reuters, Experts Ask Senate for Help with Smallpox Shots

1/25/03 -- New York Times, Smallpox Inoculations Begin with 4 Connecticut Doctors

1/24/03 -- San Francisco Chronicle, Opinion, Occupational Hazards -- Risky Smallpox Plan Needs Quick Remedy (Written by Sal Rosselli, president of SEIU Local 250, which represents thousands of health-care workers in Northern California)

1/23/03 -- New York Times, Editorial, Calibrating the Smallpox Vaccinations

1/23/03, Washington Post, Many Nurses Lack Understanding of Smallpox, Poll Says

1/20/03 -- USA Today, Hospitals Balk at Smallpox Vaccine

1/18/03 -- San Francisco Chronicle, Smallpox vaccine plan starts Tuesday, despite concerns

1/17/03 -- Associated Press, Unions Seeking Smallpox Vaccine Delay

1/16/03 -- New York Times, Medical Panel Has Doubts About Plan for Smallpox

1/15/03 -- The Washington Post, Caregivers Protected Against Smallpox Lawsuits--Bush Plan Would Not Compensate Patients for Vaccine's Side Effects or Accidental Exposure to Virus

1/9/03 -- Seattle Times, Column, Smallpox-vaccination plan carries unnecessary risks (Written by Diane Sosne, a registered nurse and president of SEIU District 1199NW, which represents more than 10,000 nurses and health care workers in Washington)

1/9/03 -- Minneapolis Star Tribune, North Memorial opting out of smallpox plan

1/9/03 -- Denver Post, Editorial, Health Workers' Worth

1/8/03 -- Denver Post, Smallpox Shots Spur Fears: More Health Workers Opt Out, Citing Risks to Selves, Families

1/4/03 -- New York Times, Health Officials Fear Local Impact of Smallpox Plan

1/3/03 -- Seattle Times, Hospitals weigh smallpox shots for their staffs

1/2/03 -- Fremont Argus, Letter to the Editor, Concerned About Plan

12/30/02 -- The Washington Post, Smallpox Plan May Force Other Health Cuts

12/29/02 -- Los Angeles Times, Commentary, Smallpox Vaccine Policy Is Bad Science 

12/20/02 -- Los Angeles Times, Medical Groups Criticize Bush's Smallpox Vaccine Plan

12/20/02 -- The Washington Post, Survey Finds Major Misconceptions About Smallpox

12/18/02 -- The Washington Post, 2 Hospitals Refuse Call to Vaccinate Workers

12/16/02 -- USA Today, Smallpox vaccine costs raise questions

12/14/02 -- The San Francisco Chronicle, Health Care Workers Balk at Bush's Vaccine Plan; Safety Issues Cloud Smallpox Inoculations

12/13/02 -- Los Angeles Times, Smallpox Strike Called Unlikely. Scenario is discounted because the virus is hard to test or deploy. Experts say suicidal efforts to spark an epidemic would probably fail.

12/12/02 -- New York Times, Smallpox Shots Will Start Soon Under Bush Plan

12/12/02 -- Los Angeles Times, U.S. to Offer Vaccine for Smallpox; The plan is for the military and health-care personnel to be inoculated first. The public may have to wait until early 2004 

12/11/02 -- Reuters Health, AMA Wants Protection for Docs Giving Smallpox Shots

12/10/02 -- New York Times, Threats and Responses: The Bioterrorism Threat; Health Workers Union Wary of Smallpox Vaccinations

12/9/02 -- Sun-Sentinel, Vaccine Worries Health Workers; Many are Wary of Smallpox Shot's Side Effects

12/9/02 -- Philadelphia Inquirer, Smallpox Strategy Hits Snag in U.S.; A Communication Failure Could Derail Plans to Inoculate Hospital Workers in Case of a Bioattack

12/6/02 -- Miami Herald, Union Hopes to Call Shots on Smallpox

12/5/02 -- The Associated Press, Health Care Union Wants Smallpox Cover

12/5/02 -- The Washington Post, Editorial, Thinking About Smallpox

12/5/02 -- The Washington Post, Smallpox Vaccine Reactions Jolt Experts

12/3/02 -- CNN.com, Union Says Smallpox Plan Falls Short

For more information, contact SEIU's TJ Michels at 202-898-3321 or Christy Hawkins Davis at 202-898-3266.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Library of Medicine/National Institutes of Health

World Health Organization

American College of Physicians/American Society of Internal Medicine 

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

American Medical Association

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