In preparation for a possible terrorist attack, 10 local health
officials will receive smallpox vaccinations later his month.
Marilyn Coppola, the county’s director of Health and human
Services, made the announcement about the vaccinations during the
Board of Supervisors meeting this week.
The vaccinations of healthcare workers, and eventually police,
fire and other emergency response personnel, is part of a federal
directive in the event of a biological terrorist attack.
In preparation for a possible terrorist attack, 10 local health officials will receive smallpox vaccinations later his month.
Marilyn Coppola, the county’s director of Health and human Services, made the announcement about the vaccinations during the Board of Supervisors meeting this week.
The vaccinations of healthcare workers, and eventually police, fire and other emergency response personnel, is part of a federal directive in the event of a biological terrorist attack.
“An outbreak of smallpox could only occur as a terrorist attack,” Coppola said. “There is no smallpox existing in the world.”
Smallpox was declared eradicated worldwide in 1980 and the only remaining stockpiles of the virus could be used as a terrorist weapon.
The 10 officials include several county public health workers, members of the San Benito Health Foundation and other healthcare workers who might be the first to respond to an outbreak of smallpox, Coppola said.
“The 10 individuals who have agreed to be vaccinated will be doing so in partnership with Santa Cruz County,” Coppola said. “The vaccine is given out in units of 100. We don’t have enough people locally for that.”
The vaccinations are being conducted on a voluntary basis, and a number of healthcare workers are currently opting not to receive the vaccination partially out of concern about possible side effects.
“But we need to have some people vaccinated,” Coppola said.
Coppola said she understood the concerns about the possible side effects from the vaccine.
“It’s not as safe as the vaccines that we have now,” Coppola said. “However the side effects are usually not that severe.”
According to the Center for Disease Control, serious illness from the vaccination is rare, and death is far less common. The side effects usually consist of a flu-like symptom that can go away within a few days.
The CDC started releasing vaccine to states as they request it, and California Department of Health Services submitted its request on Jan. 29.
In compliance with state and national efforts, the Health and Human Services Agency submitted its plan to CDHS for how local healthcare workers, who volunteered to be on local emergency response teams should an outbreak occur, be vaccinated. The surrounding counties have received their vaccine and will begin vaccinating in March. The San Benito County Public Health Response Team will receive their vaccinations in Santa Cruz County later this month or by early April.
The first focus is vaccinating public health and healthcare workers who would respond to any potential smallpox outbreak. California’s Phase I plan calls for vaccinating up to 40,000 public health and healthcare workers at state and local health departments and hospitals.
Following the completion of Phase I, Phase II participants will include law enforcement staff, emergency medical personnel, first responders and other healthcare staff who volunteer to be vaccinated.
Smallpox is a serious, contagious, and sometimes fatal infectious disease. There is no specific treatment for smallpox and the only prevention is vaccination. The name smallpox is derived from the Latin word for “spotted” and refers to the raised bumps that appear on the face and body of an infected person
There are two forms of smallpox. Variola major is the severe and most common form of smallpox, with a more extensive rash and higher fever.
Historically, variola major has an overall fatality rate of about 30 percent; however, flat and hemorrhagic smallpox usually are fatal. Variola minor is a less common presentation of smallpox, and a much less severe disease, with a death rate historically of 1 percent or less, according to the National Center for Disease Control.
