FDA licenses new vaccine against smallpox
WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. ended routine smallpox vaccinations in 1971, but the Food and Drug Administration has approved a new vaccine against the disease.
The agency says the shots could be made quickly if the virtually extinct virus reappears. An FDA official says the vaccine is made using modern cell culture technology that would allow for speedy manufacturing if large quantities were needed quickly.
The vaccine is intended to innoculate people at high risk of exposure to smallpox, a highly contagious disease. But the FDA says the vaccine also could be used to protect individuals and populations during a bioterrorist attack. After September 11th concern arose that smallpox and other infections could be engineered as weapons.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has already stockpiled 192.5 million doses of the vaccine.
World health authorities declared smallpox eradicated from the wild in 1980. The last known case was reported in Somalia in 1977.
The agency says the shots could be made quickly if the virtually extinct virus reappears. An FDA official says the vaccine is made using modern cell culture technology that would allow for speedy manufacturing if large quantities were needed quickly.
The vaccine is intended to innoculate people at high risk of exposure to smallpox, a highly contagious disease. But the FDA says the vaccine also could be used to protect individuals and populations during a bioterrorist attack. After September 11th concern arose that smallpox and other infections could be engineered as weapons.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has already stockpiled 192.5 million doses of the vaccine.
World health authorities declared smallpox eradicated from the wild in 1980. The last known case was reported in Somalia in 1977.
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