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The AMA voted December 4 to take a cautious
approach to any national smallpox vaccination program, urging
the federal government to wait for good science before ordering
vaccinations for all Americans.
The smallpox
vaccine is associated with a number of side effects
and vaccinating every American could result in as many as
300 deaths.
The Florida delegation backed the resolution
that asked the AMA to "provide federal authority and
funding for direct conversion of all available and appropriate
vaccine facilities to create doses sufficient to appropriately
vaccinate the entire population of the United States for smallpox."
Smallpox vaccination plans have gathered
momentum because the viral infection could
be used as a potent bioterrorism weapon. Health
and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced plans
to buy as many as 300 million doses of smallpox vaccine.
Instead of endorsing universal smallpox
vaccination, the AMA House approved a resolution that asks
for more study of "risks and benefits of pre-exposure
vaccination of the US population," while plans for mass
vaccination continue.
The
American Medical Association's (AMA) House of Delegates December
4, 2001 San Francisco, CA
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