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[Risk of smallpox, vaccination, bioterrorism]
P Bossi1, D Garin, B Combadière
1Service des maladies infectieuses et tropicales, Groupe hospitalier, Pitié-Salpêtrière, 47-83, Bd de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France. philippe.bossi@psl.ap-hop-paris.fr
Presse Medicale (Paris, France : 1983)
|February 15, 2005
Summary
Smallpox vaccination strategies are being re-evaluated due to bioterrorism threats. While first-generation vaccines have risks, new generations aim for better efficacy and safety, with no absolute contraindications in emergencies.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Immunology
- Public Health
Background:
- The historical use of smallpox virus as a biological weapon necessitates updated counteracting strategies.
- Preventive smallpox vaccination ceased in France in 1978 (primo-vaccination) and 1984 (repeat vaccinations) following global eradication.
- First-generation smallpox vaccines, using weakened live virus, have known rare life-threatening and more frequent benign adverse events.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review counteracting strategies against smallpox bioterrorism.
- To discuss the role and limitations of vaccination in a bioterrorist context.
- To highlight the development of improved vaccine generations.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on smallpox, vaccination, and bioterrorism.
- Analysis of first-generation vaccine efficacy and adverse event profiles.
- Discussion of vaccinal strategies for emergency situations.
Main Results:
- First-generation smallpox vaccines carry risks, including rare severe adverse events.
- Second and third-generation vaccines are being developed to enhance efficacy and minimize side effects.
- In smallpox emergencies, vaccination has no absolute contraindications.
Conclusions:
- Mass vaccination campaigns are inadvisable in a bioterrorist scenario due to significant risks.
- Vaccinal strategies must be carefully defined on a case-by-case basis.
- Ongoing research into safer and more effective smallpox vaccines is crucial.