New Jersey to Track Smallpox Vaccinations

TRENTON, N.J. - Sharps safety manufacturer Beckton, Dickinson and Company has teamed with New Jersey Gov. James E. McGreevey to create the first state-wide system for tracking smallpox vaccinations.

"Our partnership with BD enhances New Jersey's preparedness by allowing effective and efficient registration and follow-up of smallpox vaccines," says McGreevey. "This tracking system will position our state as a national leader.

The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services and BD will work with a pilot-test of the BD Bio-Terror Preparedness Network under simulated conditions at regional clinics within the next several weeks. The clinic will have a mobile station with a small personal computer and digital camera. Healthcare workers will record the medical history of those being vaccinated and patients will sign consent forms directly into the notebook-style PC. Photographs will be sued for personal identification and documentation of successful smallpox vaccinations.

McGreevey has allocated $12.5 million to meet the Medical Emergency and Disaster Preparedness and Response Expert Panel recommendations, which include developing a coordinated bioterrorism preparedness and response plan by state.

The state has also received $27.2 million in federal funding to strengthen the public healthcare system.

States cannot, however, begin vaccinating against smallpox until the federal government, which owns the vaccine, grants permission to do so.

For more information, visit: www.bd.com.