Maintaining Vaccine Supply

Update on the State Childrens Health Insurance Program

Hoosiers CHIRP and ECBT Cheers

Flu Shots Join the Pediatric Lineup

AAP Releases Policy Statement on Smallpox Vaccine Administration

Did You Know?

CDC Launches Provider Immunization Education Listserv (ImmunEd)

Upcoming Events

Back to Every Child By Two Main Page

Back to September/October Newsletter
 
 

In a press release dated October 7, 2002, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) announced its new policy statement recommending ring vaccination in the event of a smallpox outbreak instead of a universal or voluntary immunization strategy. The ring vaccination process is designed to control an outbreak of a disease for which a vaccine is available once the disease has been detected in the population by vaccinating and monitoring a “ring” of people who regularly come into contact with known infected individuals. The idea is to form a buffer of immune people to prevent the spread of the disease in the event of an outbreak.  The ring vaccination technique involves temporarily restricting the movement of people in the area in which the outbreak is detected and mass vaccination of potential contacts only.  This process was successful in halting an epidemic spread of smallpox in 1971in Aralsk, Kazakhstan.
      In determining their new policy statement, the AAP decided on a ring strategy rather than universal or voluntary immunization, because of the potentially serious health risks from the vaccine compared to the currently unknown but perceived minimal risk that a terrorist smallpox attack would occur. Given the known risk of serious complications from immunizations the AAP feels that universal immunization should not be undertaken.  If a new, safer vaccine becomes available or if a smallpox crisis should occur, the AAP indicated that they would revisit this policy and make appropriate changes.  The last available research shows that the current available vaccine could cause forty people per million immunized to develop potentially life-threatening complications and 1,200 people per million immunized to develop serious complications.  Given the current population of the US, estimated at around 288 million, the consequences of universal immunizations would be significant.  11,520 people would develop potentially life-threatening complications and 345,600 would develop serious complications.
      Due to the heightened public awareness of smallpox as a potential biological terrorism agent, the AAP made a point to urge everyone to stay up-to-date with information about the smallpox vaccine including the possible serious adverse effects of smallpox immunization.  Of special note to the pediatric population is that surveillance studies demonstrate that children have a higher incidence of adverse effects.