{
  "id": "RL31694",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL31694",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 105037,
      "date": "2003-01-09",
      "retrieved": "2016-05-24T20:00:39.911941",
      "title": "Smallpox Vaccine Stockpile and Vaccination Policy",
      "summary": "On December 13, 2002, President George W. Bush announced the administration's long-awaited\npolicy for vaccinating U.S. citizens against smallpox. That same day, the government began\nvaccinating an estimated 500,000 troops and other personnel who serve in high risk parts of the\nworld. Voluntary vaccination of up to 500,000 civilian health care and public health workers\nprobably would not begin until after January 24, 2003, a date set by Section 4 of the Homeland\nSecurity Act of 2002 ( P.L. 107-296 ). The Bush Administration plan for civilian health care workers\nfollows the October 17, 2002, recommendations made by an advisory panel to the Centers for\nDisease Control and Prevention (CDC) on several smallpox vaccination implementation issues. The\npanel advised immunizing two groups of civilians: (1) public health response teams who would\ninvestigate initial smallpox cases and implement control measures; and (2) health care teams\ncomposed of 50-100 individuals at each of the 5,100 acute care hospitals in the United States who\nwould care for smallpox patients.\n  \n  Smallpox vaccine has a higher rate of serious complications than any other vaccine in current\nuse. When this vaccine was routinely given more than 30 years ago, about 1,000 persons per million\nvaccinated for the first time experienced reactions that were serious but not life threatening, such as\naccidental inoculation, in which the rash occurs elsewhere on the body (from the vaccination site)\ndue to direct contact with vaccinia. Blindness may result if the rash develops near the eye. About\n14 to 52 people per million vaccinated for the first time developed potentially life threatening\nreactions; one or two per million died as a result of vaccination. These more serious complications\ninclude: (1) encephalitis which may be fatal or leave survivors with paralysis or other central\nnervous system symptoms; (2) growth of the vaccination lesion without healing, which occurs in\nimmunocompromised individuals and is often fatal; (3) passage of vaccinia to a fetus, which may\nlead to stillbirth; and (4) development of vaccinial lesions over sites where there is or has been\neczema, which may be fatal. Because live vaccinia virus is used in the smallpox vaccine,\ncomplications may occur in individuals who don't even receive the vaccine but are only exposed to\nsomeone who has recently been vaccinated. The federal government is encouraging both academic\nscientists and companies to develop a safer vaccine and antiviral treatments.\n  In the Homeland Security Act of 2002 ( P.L. 107-296 ), Congress addresses the smallpox vaccine\nliability concerns of vaccine manufacturers and health care workers by designating them to be federal\nemployees for the purpose of administering smallpox vaccine. The federal government would\nassume liability for smallpox vaccine-related injuries and deaths under the Federal Tort Claims Act\nwhich does not permit jury trials or punitive damages. If an individual injured by the smallpox\nvaccine were to file suit against the federal government, that individual would be required to provide\nevidence of negligence. However, most vaccine-related injuries are not the result of negligence. It\nis expected that health care insurance and worker's compensation programs would pay for patient\ncare expenses in the event of a smallpox vaccine-related injury. This report will be updated as\nneeded.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
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          "encoding": "utf-8",
          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL31694",
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      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Intelligence and National Security",
    "National Defense"
  ]
}