CDC: Heart inflammation may be associated with smallpox vaccination; IOM panel urges CDC, communities to reassess smallpox vaccination plans

CAL/AAEM News Service pottsbri@yahoo.com
Sun, 30 Mar 2003 10:35:33 -0800 (PST)


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AHA NEWS NOW

The Daily Report for Health Care Executives

www.ahanews.com

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Friday, March 28, 2003

2) CDC: Heart inflammation may be associated with smallpox vaccination 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting that evidence suggests the smallpox vaccine may be playing a causal role in several cases of myopericarditis -- inflammation in or around the heart -- reported in vaccinated health care and military personnel. In today's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, CDC says 10 cases of myopericarditis have been reported among military vaccinees. Those cases are in addition to two civilian cases reported March 25, when CDC recommended that people who have been diagnosed with heart disease be temporarily deferred from receiving the smallpox vaccine while it investigates reports of heart problems in seven vaccinated health care workers. Three of the vaccinees experienced heart attacks, two of whom have died. Walter Orenstein, M.D., head of the CDC's National Immunization Program, said all of the military vaccinees reporting myopericarditis have recovered, adding he believed that may also be true of the civilian cases. Orenst!
ein said the possibility of screening for risk factors for myopericarditis and other heart problems would be discussed with heart experts this afternoon during a joint meeting of CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the Smallpox Vaccine Safety Working Group. CDC said people receiving smallpox vaccine should be informed that myopericarditis might be associated with smallpox vaccination and that they should seek medical attention if they develop chest pain, shortage of breath, or other symptoms of cardiac disease after vaccination. For more, go to http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/. 

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Thursday, March 27, 2003

4) IOM panel urges CDC, communities to reassess smallpox vaccination plans

An Institute of Medicine committee established to advise the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on its implementation of the nation's smallpox vaccination program says in a report released today that the CDC must continue to make every effort to evaluate the progress and safety of the campaign as the campaign expands to a larger pool of potential recipients. The panel also says communities should measure their preparedness to respond to a smallpox outbreak by how effectively their public health and medical personnel and other emergency responders are coordinated, not solely by the number of workers who have been vaccinated. "CDC and its partners in hospitals and state and local health departments have done a remarkable job getting a complicated program off the ground, and at this stage, continued focus on protecting the safety of the vaccine recipients and the public is paramount," said committee chair Brian Strom. "This involves assessing lessons learned from the pr!
ogram so far, and carefully considering how many people from key occupations truly need to be vaccinated for each jurisdiction to be prepared to respond to a smallpox attack." The report is available online at http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10657.html.

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Copyright 2003 by the American Hospital Association. All rights reserved. For republication rights, contact Craig Webb.

AHA News is a registered trademark of the American Hospital Association. The opinions expressed in AHA News Now are not necessarily those of the American Hospital Association.


Brian Potts 
Managing Editor, CAL/AAEM News Service 
MS-IV, UC-Irvine


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<P>AHA NEWS NOW</P>
<P>The Daily Report for Health Care Executives</P>
<P></FONT><A href="http://us.f413.mail.yahoo.com/ym/www.ahanews.com"><U><FONT color=#0000ff size=2>www.ahanews.com</U></FONT></A></P><FONT size=2>
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<P>Friday, March 28, 2003</P>
<P>2) CDC: Heart inflammation may be associated with smallpox vaccination </P>
<P>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting that evidence suggests the smallpox vaccine may be playing a causal role in several cases of myopericarditis -- inflammation in or around the heart -- reported in vaccinated health care and military personnel. In today's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, CDC says 10 cases of myopericarditis have been reported among military vaccinees. Those cases are in addition to two civilian cases reported March 25, when CDC recommended that people who have been diagnosed with heart disease be temporarily deferred from receiving the smallpox vaccine while it investigates reports of heart problems in seven vaccinated health care workers. Three of the vaccinees experienced heart attacks, two of whom have died. Walter Orenstein, M.D., head of the CDC's National Immunization Program, said all of the military vaccinees reporting myopericarditis have recovered, adding he believed that may also be true of the civilian cases. Ore!
nstein said the possibility of screening for risk factors for myopericarditis and other heart problems would be discussed with heart experts this afternoon during a joint meeting of CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the Smallpox Vaccine Safety Working Group. CDC said people receiving smallpox vaccine should be informed that myopericarditis might be associated with smallpox vaccination and that they should seek medical attention if they develop chest pain, shortage of breath, or other symptoms of cardiac disease after vaccination. For more, go to </FONT><A href="http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/"><U><FONT color=#0000ff size=2>http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/</U></FONT></A><FONT size=2>. </P>
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<P></FONT><FONT size=2>Thursday, March 27, 2003</P>
<P>4) IOM panel urges CDC, communities to reassess smallpox vaccination plans</P>
<P>An Institute of Medicine committee established to advise the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on its implementation of the nation's smallpox vaccination program says in a report released today that the CDC must continue to make every effort to evaluate the progress and safety of the campaign as the campaign expands to a larger pool of potential recipients. The panel also says communities should measure their preparedness to respond to a smallpox outbreak by how effectively their public health and medical personnel and other emergency responders are coordinated, not solely by the number of workers who have been vaccinated. "CDC and its partners in hospitals and state and local health departments have done a remarkable job getting a complicated program off the ground, and at this stage, continued focus on protecting the safety of the vaccine recipients and the public is paramount," said committee chair Brian Strom. "This involves assessing lessons learned from the!
 program so far, and carefully considering how many people from key occupations truly need to be vaccinated for each jurisdiction to be prepared to respond to a smallpox attack." The report is available online at </FONT><A href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10657.html"><U><FONT color=#0000ff size=2>http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10657.html</U></FONT></A><FONT size=2>.</P>
<P>==================================</P>
<P>Copyright 2003 by the American Hospital Association. All rights reserved. For republication rights, contact Craig Webb.</P>
<P>AHA News is a registered trademark of the American Hospital Association. The opinions expressed in AHA News Now are not necessarily those of the American Hospital Association.</FONT></P></FONT><BR><BR><STRONG>Brian Potts <BR>Managing Editor, CAL/AAEM News Service</STRONG> <BR>MS-IV, UC-Irvine<p><br><hr size=1>Do you Yahoo!?<br>
<a href="http://rd.yahoo.com/platinum/evt=8162/*http://platinum.yahoo.com/splash.html">Yahoo! Platinum</a> - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, <a href="http://rd.yahoo.com/platinum/evt=8162/*http://platinum.yahoo.com/splash.html">live on your desktop</a>!
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