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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: mistermj who wrote (290302)	8/25/2002 10:17:26 PM
From: sandintoes	Respond to of 769670

HHS Set to Order Smallpox Vaccine for All Americans _____Correction_____ A Nov. 7 article incorrectly reported that Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said the cost of buying smallpox vaccine for every American could be quadruple the $509 million originally estimated. Thompson said he was negotiating a price that would be "below $8" per dose. Aides said yesterday the final price would be far below quadruple the original estimate. By Ceci Connolly Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, November 7, 2001; Page A09 Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said yesterday that he expects to sign a contract this weekend to purchase enough smallpox vaccine for every American but that he has warned the White House the cost could be quadruple the $509 million he originally estimated -- or equivalent to the department's entire $1.9 billion bioterrorism budget. Thompson said that he was disappointed the bids from three companies came in around $8 a dose but that he hopes to settle on a lower price in final negotiations on Friday, as he did in his recent talks on the antibiotic Cipro. In addition to the 54 million doses already on order, Thompson said he plans to stockpile 250 million doses of new vaccine, or enough for "every man, woman and child" in the country. The previously announced administration effort to vaccinate all Americans against smallpox, a deadly disease that was eradicated in the 1970s, took on a renewed sense of urgency as one of the leading smallpox authorities warned it was conceivable that former Soviet scientists were helping to "weaponize" the smallpox virus for nations such as Iran, Iraq, Libya and North Korea. "Many [Russian] scientists are really quite desperate for money," said Donald A. Henderson, director of the new Office of Public Health Preparedness. U.S. intelligence indicates that several have been recruited by "rogue states" and were in a position to smuggle out a vial of the virus, he said. "That's a very great worry." In addition, Henderson said, there is evidence that the former Soviet Union succeeded in weaponizing the virus and manufactured up to 100 tons annually at a plant outside Moscow. He described experiments in which the Soviets planned to place smallpox warheads atop intercontinental ballistic missiles. It is unclear whether any warheads were tested. "We do not have the confidence that the Russians are not at this moment proceeding with research on biological weapons," Henderson said, noting that as recently as the early 1990s Russian scientists tried to combine the smallpox and Ebola viruses in search of an even deadlier agent. As the man who led the effort to eradicate smallpox in the 1970s, Henderson is familiar with the potential consequences of a reemergence of the disease. Because it is contagious and cannot be treated with existing drugs, its virus is widely considered to be the most potent biological weapon. "The likelihood of a smallpox release is much smaller than an anthrax release," he said. "We're worried about it because it could be far more serious." A person infected with smallpox often develops a fever and, later, a rash. Smallpox vaccine administered within two or three days of exposure has been effective in preventing the illness from developing, he said. Historically, 30 percent of people infected with the smallpox virus have died, he said, estimating that the eradication of the disease two decades ago has saved 60 million people and protected 240 million others from illness. Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the subsequent anthrax attacks, Henderson has advocated an aggressive smallpox strategy, including the stockpiling of vaccine. He reiterated yesterday that he would not support widespread, mandatory vaccination but that he wants to have the vaccine on hand in the event of an attack. "A smallpox outbreak anywhere in the world is potentially an international disaster," Henderson said at a bioterrorism conference at the Johns Hopkins Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. For that reason, he said, federal health officials have begun informal talks with Japan, Brazil and several countries in Europe on the stockpiling of smallpox vaccine. If even a single case emerged, Henderson said, he would assume that it was the work of terrorists and would rapidly order quarantines and vaccinations to "build a barrier of immunity." The United States has about 15.4 million doses of the old smallpox vaccine available, and government researchers say it may be possible to dilute those doses to vaccinate 50 million to 77 million people. Thompson recently expanded and accelerated a contract with OraVex Inc. (subsequently bought by British drugmaker Acambis PLC) for the delivery of 54 million doses by the end of next year. A task force appointed by Thompson is reviewing the three bids and debating safety, efficacy and possible human clinical trials. Already, hundreds of volunteers in the United States are receiving the vaccine as part of a rushed study on the efficacy of diluting the old vaccine. Later this week, newly formed smallpox teams at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will take a crash course on the virus with two former CDC experts. The class will focus on identifying, isolating and treating the disease, said spokesman Tom Skinner. More than 100 CDC epidemiologists have also received the vaccine, he said. Staff writer Justin Gillis contributed to this report. washingtonpost.com