GILROY
– The County Board of Supervisors accepted Tuesday a county
version for implementing the national plan to defend against a
possible terrorist smallpox attack.
On Monday, health care professionals making up first-response
teams and hospital care units will begin receiving
vaccinations.
GILROY – The County Board of Supervisors accepted Tuesday a county version for implementing the national plan to defend against a possible terrorist smallpox attack.
On Monday, health care professionals making up first-response teams and hospital care units will begin receiving vaccinations. Nearly 150 public health professionals have volunteered and passed initial screenings for early vaccinations. Another 400 medical staff from area hospitals, including Gilroy’s Saint Louise Regional Hospital, are in line for vaccinations.
After the call for local smallpox vaccination plans was handed down by the federal government, much debate was generated. Some critics believe the risk of dying from the smallpox vaccine – roughly a one-in-a-million chance – outweighed the risk of a terrorist attack using the deadly virus.
“We believe this is a smart idea,” Supervisor Don Gage said. “It’s our understanding that if you had a smallpox vaccine years ago and you didn’t get a reaction then, you won’t get a reaction now.”
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), about 1,000 people for every one million vaccinated for the first time experienced reactions that, while not life-threatening, were serious. Between 14 and 52 people out of every one million vaccinated for the first time experienced potentially life-threatening reactions to the vaccine.
Dr. Martin Feinstersheib, the county health officer overseeing the vaccination process, says 500 units of the vaccine has been delivered to the county. By mid April, Feinstersheib said, volunteers from the two initial vaccination groups will have received shots.
Group one is a sort of first-response team made up of physicians, nurses, epidemiologists, disease investigators, counselors and other staff. They will vaccinate participating hospital workers, identify and investigate confirmed and suspected smallpox cases and locate individuals who may have been in contact with infected persons.
Feinstersheib said the group would also be trained to do a mass vaccination in the event an entire community needed protection.
The United States has a big enough stockpile of smallpox vaccine to vaccinate everyone in the country, according to the CDC.
There is no specific treatment for smallpox disease, and the only prevention is vaccination. The first symptoms of smallpox include fever, malaise, head and body aches and sometimes vomiting. The fever is usually high, in the range of 101 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. A rash emerges next as small red spots on the tongue and in the mouth. These spots develop into sores that break open and spread large amounts of the virus into the mouth and throat. At this time, the person becomes most contagious.
The second group of vaccination volunteers are the health care providers at area hospitals, like Saint Louise, who will care for infected persons if smallpox cases broke out.
Saint Louise is keeping mum on many specifics, declining to provide before press time the number of volunteers recruited at the Gilroy hospital. Hospital officials have also not yet answered how many residents it could care for if an epidemic broke out.
“We’re committed to working in conjunction with the county and we’re developing a plan now. When we’re ready to present that information to the community, we will,” hospital spokesperson Vivian Smith said.
Phase two of the county’s plan kicks in during April, after the initial volunteers are vaccinated. Paramedics, firefighters and law enforcement personnel are the primary groups targeted in the second phase.
“I would suspect not a high number of volunteers will be coming from our department. People understand the risks of the vaccine and the probability of an actual smallpox release,” Gilroy Fire Chief Jeff Clet said. “As employers it’s our duty to make sure the information is available, but this is strictly volunteer and we have to let individuals decide.”
Clet said he would likely volunteer for vaccination.
Supervisors Tuesday approved a policy that guarantees, in most cases, use of workers compensation benefits in the event employees miss work due to complications from the vaccine.
Most people experience typically mild reactions to the vaccine, which indicate that it is beginning to work. Others experience reactions that may require medical attention.
Feinstersheib said the U.S. military sees its vaccinated soldiers miss an average of 1.5 work days due to reactions from the vaccine.
Supervisors also asked about liability issues related to administering the vaccine. Federal legislation holds harmless the manufacturer and local provider of the vaccine. If someone wants to litigate over vaccine complications, they must sue the federal government, not the county or the local hospital.
The last case of smallpox in the United States was in 1949. The last naturally occurring case in the world was in Somalia in 1977. After the disease was eliminated from the world, routine vaccination – which lasts for three to five years – against smallpox among the general public was stopped because it was no longer necessary for prevention, the CDC says.
Generally, direct and fairly prolonged face-to-face contact is required to spread smallpox from one person to another. Smallpox also can be spread through direct contact with infected bodily fluids or contaminated objects such as bedding or clothing. Rarely, smallpox has been spread by viruses carried through the air in enclosed settings such as buildings, buses, and trains. Humans are the only natural hosts of smallpox.
Santa Clara County Smallpox Vaccination Plans
Phase one: Vaccinate those people necessary to control an outbreak.
Phase one start date: Vaccinations for participating hospital personnel and public health staff begins Monday, March 3.
Phase one completion: Early to mid April.
Phase two: Provide broader protection over time to additional health care workers, first responders, law enforcement and fire and rescue personnel.
Phase three (if necessary): Provide protection to the general public.
Infected persons have a three-day window to receive the smallpox vaccine. The vaccine is less effective if received within seven days of the first appearance of symptoms, which include a rash and high fever.
For more information, call the Center for Disease Control: English: (888) 246-2675, Español: (888) 246-2857, TTY: (866) 874-2646. Or visit online at www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/smallpox/index.asp.
Saint Louise Regional Hospital is the local designated vaccination site. Twelve Bay Area health care agencies are participating with a total of 412 volunteers. The first-response team is made up of 143 volunteers in public health, mental health, ambulatory care, alcohol and drug services and custody health services.
