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CNN Saturday Morning News

CDC Decides to Inoculate Persons at High Risk for Anthrax Exposure

Aired October 27, 2001 - 07:19   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: CNN has learned that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has decided to inoculate certain people at high risk for exposure to anthrax.

CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has those details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Soldiers have been getting the anthrax vaccine for years, and Friday CNN learned that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans on giving it to civilians too, those on the front line in the fight against anthrax.

DR. DAVID FLEMING, CDC: Laboratory workers who are the position of handling these environmental specimens, investigators out in the field who are going to be moving from site to site, people who are experts in decontamination who would be facing an indefinite period of antibiotic prophylaxis because of an ongoing exposure -- that's the folks in whom vaccine makes the most sense.

COHEN: In other words, Dr. Fleming said, some workers may be dealing directly with this anthrax situation for a long time, and it would be medically unwise to put these people on antibiotics for months and months.

The CDC said they're also considering whether some postal workers and other high-risk groups should get the anthrax vaccine too. They'll make that decision in the next two weeks.

FLEMING: There's a task force now that's assessing the question of the risks and benefit of vaccination for other groups of people. They're deliberating that. We don't have -- we will be coming out with recommendations on that, on that, in the future.

COHEN: The CDC has been negotiating to get the vaccine from the Department of Defense, which now owns the entire national stock of the vaccine. Supply of the vaccine is not unlimited. Only one company in the U.S. makes it, and it's not allowed to ship it out due to safety concerns with its manufacturing process. The company, BioPort, is awaiting FDA approval to begin shipping.

(on camera): Some soldiers have refused to take the anthrax vaccine, saying it has serious long-term side effects. But the Department of Defense says 18 studies have shown the vaccine is safe.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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