KDHE Home - News 2002 - News Release
Kansas
Department of Health & Environment
Bill Graves, Governor
Clyde D. Graeber, Secretary
For Immediate Release
December 13, 2002
Contact: Sharon Watson, 785-296-5795
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is prepared to begin the process of vaccinating health care workers against smallpox. All smallpox vaccinations will be voluntary. This is in keeping with the National Smallpox Vaccination Plan approved by President Bush.
"By protecting those persons who would first respond to a suspected case of smallpox, the ability to protect the public is strengthened," said Gianfranco Pezzino, M.D., M.P.H., State Epidemiologist. "The potential consequences of a smallpox release are so great that the public health system must be prepared."
Following the strategy indicated by the Centers of Disease Control, the first phase of the voluntary smallpox vaccinations will include public health response team members called upon to investigate a smallpox incident, and high risk health care workers including hospital emergency room staff. The second phase of vaccinations will include additional health care workers and emergency first responders including EMS and ambulance workers. The third phase of vaccinations will include the general public, but this will not occur until the first two phases have been completed, and the new vaccine has been licensed.
Because there are side effects to the vaccine and because there is no evidence that smallpox exists anywhere in the natural environment, the vaccine would be offered only to those health care workers and emergency responders who volunteer to be vaccinated and pass a medical screening.
"The number one priority of our phase one plan for smallpox vaccination in Kansas is to make vaccination as safe as possible," said Dr. Michael Moser, KDHE Director of Health.
The vaccinations for health care workers will happen in several clinics to be held throughout Kansas in the coming weeks. The locations, dates and times of those clinics have yet to be finalized, but will be announced when plans are final.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment worked with the Kansas Hospital Association, local health departments, and other health officials in developing the Pre-Event Smallpox Plan which outlines the procedures described above. The plan was submitted to the Centers for Disease Control December 9.
KDHE also developed a plan for vaccination in the event of an actual smallpox case in Kansas. This includes plans to vaccinate those people in contact with the smallpox case, as well as plans to vaccinate the population as a whole in response to a widespread outbreak.