NEW YORK (voa) – The New York Times is reporting that the U.S. government will soon vaccinate some 500,000 health care workers against smallpox as a precaution against a bioterrorist attack.
American officials had previously proposed vaccinating 10,000-20,000 health and emergency workers.
The Times says in its Sunday edition that the plan to increase the scope of vaccinations is an acknowledgment by the government that its existing program is insufficient to fight a large smallpox outbreak.
The newspaper also says U.S. officials are laying the groundwork for mass vaccinations of the general public. A medical advisory panel had earlier decided against vaccinating all Americans for smallpox, saying there was not a credible threat that the disease could be released in a bioterrorist attack.
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson is expected to make a decision by the end of the month on how to proceed with the vaccinations.
Smallpox is a naturally-occurring disease that was wiped out globally in the 1970s. Since then, there has been little production of the smallpox vaccine.
