Active telephone surveillance to evaluate adverse events among civilian smallpox vaccine recipients

Better characterize and monitor adverse events following Dryvax vaccinia vaccination in civilian health care workers and other first responders.

Telephone interviews to ascertain adverse events experienced.

Eight hundred twenty-five vaccinees, including 44 in the comparison group, were interviewed. At 10 days, 71.4% reported blisters, 35.1% reported bumps at the vaccination site, 48.5% swelling, 47.3% scab, tiredness/lethargy/fatigue (43.6%), headache (34.2%), lymph node swelling/tenderness (28.5%), muscle pain (23.1%), chills (14.4%), joint pain 11.8%, and fever >100 degrees F (12.5%). The 12.5% reported missing work because of vaccine adverse events. Most adverse events were anticipated and of short duration.