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Monday, May 12, 2003For many jurisdictions, that has meant a greater emphasis on preparing to vaccinate workers in the days after an outbreak begins, further complicating what already would probably be a chaotic, perhaps even panic-ridden, environment. And because the vaccine can cause so many adverse effects, some officials are worried that those health care workers who wait to be inoculated until after an outbreak starts might not be available when they are needed most. "We can't afford to have staff on sick leave as a result of minor reactions to the smallpox vaccine," said Frances Phillips, the Anne Arundel County health officer. "We need to have some level of capability right now." Some officials take solace in the fact that people exposed to smallpox can take the vaccine up to four days later and be safe. But Lucey said that "assumes you know when you were exposed, which is a big assumption. Some people are putting a lot of faith in that time frame." An outbreak, he said, is like "a ticking clock. The sand is going down the hourglass, and every hour counts." Yes, indeed it does. posted by Sydney on 5/12/2003 07:52:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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