Panel Makes Smallpox Recommendation
Thu Jun 20, 6:08 PM ET
By ERIN McCLAM, Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA (AP) - A government advisory panel came out against vaccinating all Americans against smallpox Thursday, instead proposing that the shots be given to special teams of people in each state who would be designated the first to respond in case of a bioterrorism attack.
The unanimous recommendation by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which sets U.S. vaccine policy, came after two days of hearings on the threat of a smallpox attack versus the dangerous side effects of the vaccine. The panel is made up of 15 experts, mostly doctors.
