ENA Announces Support for Administration's Smallpox Vaccination Program for Health Care Providers

12/13/2002

From: Debra Bethard-Caplick of Emergency Nurses Association 847-460-4049 or 847-684-3209 (pager)

CHICAGO, Dec. 13 -- The Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) today released its Smallpox Vaccination position statement detailing its recommendations for the pre-event vaccination of emergency personnel as a precaution against a bioterrorist attack involving smallpox. Despite the risk involved, ENA believes emergency nurses and other emergency health care providers should have the choice of whether to be vaccinated for the disease, and supports the Bush administration's three-step plan for voluntary vaccinations. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1,000 individuals out of 1 million vaccinated will experience serious reactions; 14 to 52 out of 1 million will have life-threatening reactions; and 1 to 2 people out of 1 million will die from vaccine reactions.

In a letter sent today to President Bush, ENA strongly recommends:

-- The voluntary vaccination of emergency nurses, and emergency department personnel with their informed consent to the vaccination. -- Although many medical experts argue that the benefits of preventative immunization prior to a biological attack do not outweigh the health risks to the public, the increased vulnerability of emergency nurses and other emergency health care providers supports the need for them to have the opportunity to make an informed choice about whether to be vaccinated. -- In the interests of quellin;Yublic panic and controlling the potential spread of the disease, the voluntary vaccination of first responders such as paramedics, police, fire and other emergency services personnel should take place as quickly as possible.

The events of Sept. 11, 2002, and the subsequent attacks using anthrax spores focused attention on the vulnerability of the world population to the use of biological agents such as smallpox as weapons. The global eradication of smallpox, while one of the greatest medical achievements, has created vulnerability to this disease as a weapon of mass destruction. According to the ENA, "As it stands now, emergency departments and other health providers will be overwhelmed with patients in a smallpox crisis unless sufficient prevention and response plans are in place."

ENA points to the fact that since routine vaccination for smallpox in the United States ended in 1972, large numbers of health care workers have never been vaccinated, and only a small number of health care professionals have the expertise to identify the disease in its early stages in order to treat patients and reduce the spread of the disease. The association does recommend that first responders such as paramedics, police, and other emergency services personnel be included in the first round of vaccinations, which are scheduled to begin within 30 days of President Bush's announcement. Current plans call for the vaccination of first responders in the second round of vaccinations, sometime in 2003.

Additional information on the ENA Smallpox Vaccine position paper and letter to President Bush are available at http://www.ena.org, or by calling 847-460-4049.

--- The Emergency Nurses Association is dedicated to defining the future of emergency nursing and emergency care through advocacy, expertise, innovation, and leadership. ENA serves nearly 23,000 members and their patients through research, publication, professional development, injury prevention, and patient education.