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December 18, 2002
U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS
"2 Hospitals Refuse Call to Vaccinate Workers"
Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com) (12/18/02) P. A2; Connolly, Ceci
Two major teaching hospitals--Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital and Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond--are refusing to vaccinate their employees as part of President Bush's plan to inoculate up to 11 million first responders against smallpox by late summer. Officials at the hospitals said that the risk of dangerous side effects from the vaccine and the danger of accidental transmission of the live virus to patients outweighs the chance of a terrorist attack using smallpox. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Atlanta's Emory Medical Center, and the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics are also leaning against the vaccinations. The White House plan is part of an initiative that will allow every American to be vaccinated within 10 days of a single diagnosed case of smallpox.
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OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR
LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND
COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH
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