Below are key recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices regarding smallpox vaccination:
• Smallpox vaccination is recommended for selected personnel in facilities pre-designated to serve as referral centers to provide care for the initial cases of smallpox.
• Smallpox vaccination is recommended for those pre-designated by the appropriate bioterrorism and public health authorities to conduct investigation and follow-up of initial smallpox cases that would necessitate direct patient contact.
• State bioterrorism response plans should designate initial smallpox isolation and care facilities. In turn, these facilities should pre-designate individuals who would care for the initial smallpox cases. Additional personnel should be identified and trained to care for smallpox patients to ensure adequate staffing.
• Specific teams at the federal, state, and local levels should be established to investigate and facilitate the diagnostic work-up of the initial suspected case(s) of smallpox and initiate control measures. These smallpox response teams might include people designated as medical team leader, public health advisor, medical epidemiologists, disease investigators, diagnostic laboratory scientist, nurses, personnel who would administer smallpox vaccines, and security/law enforcement personnel. Such teams also may include medical personnel who would assist in the evaluation of suspected smallpox cases.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, Atlanta.
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