BWH is working daily to inform and educate its staff about measures and precautions that are part of the hospital’s plans to meet the challenges of the federal smallpox vaccination program.
BWH held four information sessions open to all interested staff in March. The sessions were led by Richard Zane, MD, vice chairman, Emergency Medicine and medical director for emergency preparedness and bio-defense; Deborah Yokoe, MD, associate BWH epidemiologist, Infectious Disease and Marlene Freely, RN, NP, director, Occupational Health Services. Many employees gathered at each session to obtain information about the nation’s plan to immunize approximately 100 to 150 health care workers at each hospital in Massachusetts.
Several important issues associated with the vaccination program were discussed at BWH’s March educational sessions, including the rationale behind the vaccination program and vaccination strategies, the potential side effects and contraindications for vaccinations.
The city of Boston is presently in Phase I of this program, which consists of vaccinating designated health care providers. During this stage, it is estimated that approximately 10,000 people will be vaccinated in Massachusetts, including 1,000 from Boston.
BWH is working on organizing its own smallpox response team, by including hospital personnel who might have first contact with infected victims, as well as care providers with expertise in infectious diseases.
“BWH’s role in the implementation of this federal program is a way to for us as health care workers to help the fight against bioterrorism,” said Zane, who explained that the last case of smallpox in the world was discovered in Somalia in 1977, in the US in 1949 and in Massachusetts in 1932.
According to the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC), the vaccine is a very effective way to prevent the serious disease; however, some risks have been associated with its use, which is why the BPHC has implemented cautious screenings of potential vaccine recipients to assure that those who might experience severe reactions do not receive the vaccine.