Poll finds 54% of Americans would take vaccination.

2003 MAR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Michaele Tharett represents the majority view when she said she would probably get smallpox vaccinations for herself and her child if the vaccine were to become available.

More than half of U.S. adults say they would get vaccinated, and 6 in 10 parents say they would want vaccinations for their children, an Associated Press poll found.

The vaccine will be available to adults who request it, probably beginning this summer, although federal officials are not recommending the vaccine because of the risks involved.

Children won't be able to get it unless a bioterror attack were to occur, federal officials said. Ethical and safety concerns bar children from clinical trials being conducted now, meaning the vaccine cannot be licensed for them, officials said in December 2002.

The number of adults who said they would get the smallpox vaccination was 54%, down slightly from 61% in November 2001 when the nation was in the midst of attacks through the mail system with anthrax, said the poll conducted for the AP by ICR/International Communications Research of Media, Pennsylvania.

"When it gets to the point that they're serious, I will research it and probably get it for myself and for my son," said Tharett, a 45-year-old government worker from Arlington, Texas. "I'd get it for my son before I get it for myself. I want him to go on."

Some parents say they would be interested in getting the vaccine for their children, although it's unclear at what point, if ever, it might be available for children.