Doctors poorly informed about side effects of vaccine, survey finds.(Brief Article)

2002 JUN 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Doctors are poorly informed about the dangerous side effects of the smallpox vaccine and the U.S. government's plan to control an outbreak if terrorists release the deadly germ, according to a survey.

The survey, commissioned by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that young doctors in particular - those too young to remember the last human case of smallpox - have relatively little knowledge of the disease.

The CDC hired a company in April 2002 to conduct 1-hour interviews with 17 physicians in Philadelphia, Chicago and San Francisco. The findings were released May 9, 2002.

The interviews revealed that many doctors mistakenly believe smallpox vaccine is as safe as common childhood vaccines, such as measles shots. In fact, smallpox vaccine can cause crippling and sometimes fatal side effects.

"This is not something doctors have received formal training on," said Glen Nowak of CDC's National Immunization Program, which ordered the survey. "It highlights that we have some education challenges ahead of us."

Smallpox was eradicated more than 2 decades ago. The U.S. and Russian governments hold small stockpiles of the virus, and some experts fear it could fall into the hands of terrorists seeking to kill thousands.

The government's plan in case of a smallpox bioterrorism attack calls for rapid isolation of any cases of the disease, with quick vaccinations of only those people believed to have come in contact with those victims.