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American Morning

Ask CNN: What is the U.S. Government Doing to Vaccinate Citizens Against Potentially Dangerous Smallpox?

Aired December 06, 2001 - 07:53   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ANNOUNCER: Geoffroy Matthew from San Francisco, California asks: "What is the U.S. government doing to vaccinate citizens against potentially dangerous smallpox?"

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: The U.S. government has no plans to do mass vaccinations against smallpox. The government stopped vaccinating children in 1972, because the disease had been eradicated in the U.S., and it was determined that the risk of the vaccine outweighed the benefits. But since September 11, the government has stepped up its preparedness against biological terrorism.

In November, the Bush administration announced that it had signed a pharmaceutical company to purchase the vaccine, and so, by the end of 2002, the government expects to have enough vaccine for every man, woman and child in the United States. The vaccine will become a part of the national stockpile, and the doses will be used in case of a smallpox outbreak.

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