Sunday, December 22, 2002
The first phase of vaccinations includes health workers who will give inoculations and investigate claims of smallpox.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- The first round of smallpox vaccinations could make their way to the Mahoning Valley by late January, and local health officials are concerned about getting residents educated about the virus.
Representatives from health departments in Mahoning and Trumbull counties recently met with Traci Barnett, regional smallpox immunization coordinator from the Summit County Health Department.
The meeting centered on recommendations and tentative timetables for vaccinations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health departments in Northeast Ohio are divided into five regions, with Mahoning and Trumbull counties combined into one region.
Though the health departments from each county will continue to work independently, employees are dedicated to working together as needed to administer voluntary vaccinations for smallpox, as well as investigate potential outbreaks.
Three-phase plan
After President Bush's announcement earlier this month that smallpox vaccinations will once again be made available, the CDC established a three-phase plan to administer them.
The first phase of the voluntary vaccinations will include public health and hospital teams, explained Selene Layton, director of nursing for the Trumbull County Health Department. That group includes officials who will administer vaccinations to others, as well as those who will investigate reported cases of smallpox.
"There's no definite date yet on when those will take place," she said. "It will be sometime in January, probably at the end of the month."
The second phase of vaccinations will cover other medical personnel, including police and firefighters, and the third phase will be administered to the general public, she said.
Education
Layton said there's been much talk since President Bush's announcement, which increases the need for public health departments to educate people about the virus and the vaccinations.
"Our job isn't just to vaccinate against smallpox but also to educate," she said. "We are focusing on getting good information that's the right information out to people."
Local health departments, hospital staffs, Red Cross agencies and emergency management agencies are working together to dispel rumors about the virus and vaccination, and to avoid a panic among the general population.
Layton said all information received by local health departments cite President Bush's comments that renewing smallpox vaccinations is a precautionary measure only; no specific threat has been made against the nation to unleash the virus.
History of disease
Smallpox is a viral disease characterized by pustules, sloughing and scar formation on the skin. The last natural case in the world was reported in 1977, and vaccinations were deemed no longer necessary around that time. People who received the vaccination may want to get it again -- experts say the original innoculation may no longer offer full protection.
Live strains of the virus were kept in laboratories in the United States and Russia. In the wake of terrorist acts against the United States, national leaders are concerned with bioterroristic acts, including the re-introduction of diseases considered eradicated.
Layton said local health officials will get ready to move on the first round of vaccinations and to train workers to conduct quick identifications and investigations into smallpox claims.
"We are working on beefing up our knowledge and skills," she said.
slshaulis@vindy.com