Poll - Majority favor getting vaccination against smallpox

Michaele Tharett represents the majority view when she says she would probably get smallpox vaccinations for herself and her child if the vaccine were to become available.

More than half of U.S. adults say they would get vaccinated, and six in 10 parents say they would want vaccinations for their children, an Associated Press poll found.

The vaccine will be available to adults who request it, probably beginning this summer, although federal officials are not recommending the vaccine because of the risks involved.

Children won't be able to get it unless a bioterror attack were to occur, federal officials say. Ethical and safety concerns bar children from clinical trials being conducted now, meaning the vaccine cannot be licensed for them, officials have said.

The number of adults who said they would get the smallpox vaccination was 54 percent, down slightly from 61 percent in November 2001 when the nation was in the midst of attacks through the mail system with anthrax, says the poll conducted for the AP by ICR/International Communications Research of Media, Pa.

"When it gets to the point that they're serious, I will research it and probably get it for myself and for my son," said Tharett, a 45-year-old government worker from Arlington, Texas. "I'd get it for my son before I get it for myself. I want him to go on."

Smallpox was eradicated in the 1970s and, while experts fear that terrorists or hostile nations could unleash it in an act of bioterror. President Bush has said there is no immediate threat.

Some parents say they would be interested in getting the vaccine for their children, although it's unclear at what point, if ever, it might be available for children.

Ben Murray of Franklin, Ind., says he's researching the smallpox vaccine to determine the threats, and he probably will want it for his young children, a 4-year-old son and a 1 1/2-year-old daughter.

"You think about your kids more than you do yourself," said Murray, who works in advertising. "It's something I would worry more about with them."

In the poll, parents were asked simply if they would get their children vaccinated, without any reference to current government policies.

The number of people who say they're worried about an attack with smallpox, 54 percent, was close to the number that felt that way in November 2001, 53 percent, according to the poll.

Women were more likely to be worried than men. People with less education and those with lower incomes were more likely to be worried.

State officials have begun vaccinating workers in emergency rooms and people on smallpox response teams. The effort is off to a slow start, with many hospitals and workers refusing to participate. One reason is that people injured by the vaccine may not be compensated for medical bills or time lost from work.

Diane Robbins, a 44-year-old emergency room nurse from Chester, S.C., said she's been researching the smallpox vaccine on the Internet and expects she eventually will get it.

"I don't really know for sure if I have a choice," she said.

Some people who get the vaccine may have sore arms and fever or feel sick enough to miss work. As many as 40 people out of every million vaccinated for the first time will face life-threatening reactions, and one or two will die.

Those in the poll were divided over how well prepared they feel the country is to deal with the threat of a biological terrorist attack. Just over half said they think the country is at least somewhat prepared. Only one in 20 think the country is well prepared.

"I think it's something they're just starting to get prepared for," said 26-year-old corrections worker Brent Nelson of Salinas, Calif.

More than four in 10, 43 percent, said they don't think the country is prepared to handle a biological terrorist attack. The poll of 1,002 adults was taken Jan. 31-Feb. 4 and has an error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Tharett, a mother of three from Arlington, said she questions whether top officials are spending too much time talking about the threat of terrorism and not enough time preparing.

"Why are they yakking, yakking yakking?" she said. "We hear too much information about the threat of terror, too much information about a possible war. I quit paying attention."