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Pentagon to Use New Smallpox Vaccine
The U.S. Defense Department is preparing to use a new vaccine to safeguard military personnel against smallpox infection, the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy reported Friday (see GSN, Sept. 4, 2007). The Pentagon has provided more than 1.2 million vaccinations to armed services members and contractors using the Dryvax vaccine, which is grown on calves’ skin. However, the expiration date is quickly approaching for the agency’s stockpile of the treatment. “All Dryvax vials will expire on 29 February 2008 and logistics personnel will be required to destroy all unused vaccine,” Air Force Maj. Gen. Thomas Loftus stated in a Jan. 31 memo. The Defense Department’s vaccines program said on Feb. 1 that it intends to begin staff training on the replacement ACAM2000 treatment, which is produced in laboratory cell cultures, “as soon as possible.” While smallpox has been eliminated in nature, it is considered to be among the top bioterrorism threats. The new vaccine has been found to be generally as safe as its predecessor and did not show an increase in major side effects, CIDRAP reported. ACAM2000 has been found to cause itching, lymph-node swelling, arm soreness, fever, headaches, body aches, mild rash and fatigue in some recipients. While a first-time vaccination with Dryvax required three jabs, the new treatment requires 15. The shelf life for ACAM2000 is also 30 days after it undergoes reconstitution with a solution, as opposed to 90 days for Dryvax. British drug maker Acambis as of last August had provided 192.5 million doses of ACAM2000 to the Health and Human Services Department, which is placing the vaccine in the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile. The Pentagon is drawing its supply of the vaccine from the stockpile (Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy release, Feb. 8).
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