CDC Accepts ACIP's Recommendations for Additional Exclusion Criteria for Smallpox Vaccination Program

ATLANTA -- The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) held a special meeting by conference call on Friday, March 28, 2003, to make recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding cases of cardiac adverse events that have been reported following smallpox vaccination.

The ACIP recommended that persons be excluded from the pre-event smallpox vaccination program who have known underlying heart disease, with or without symptoms, or if they have three or more known major cardiac risk factors -- hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol) and smoking.

Today, CDC informed states that the agency has accepted the ACIP's recommendations and that the vaccination program will continue. CDC has distributed revised pre-vaccination clinic education materials that reflect the new exclusion criteria.

Source: CDC