What You Need to Know
After three workers died and dozens suffered side effects as a result of the smallpox vaccination they received through the federal government’s program to inoculate first responders, Congress responded by passing legislation in April enacting a national smallpox compensation program.
Congress appropriated $105 million for states to run the Smallpox Vaccination Program and $42 million for the smallpox compensation program, which covers first responders vaccinated between Jan. 24, 2003–Feb. 24, 2004. It also requires workers receive education and information about the dangers associated with the vaccine, a medical screening and follow-up medical monitoring.
Launched in January 2003, the Bush administration’s Smallpox Vaccination Program aimed to vaccinate 450,000 first responders by Feb. 28 in the first phase of the plan. Yet by March 28, only 29,584 first responders were vaccinated—less than 7 percent of the administration’s goal.
Since January, three workers deaths have been attributed to the smallpox vaccine, along with 50 adverse reactions, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Defense’s comprehensive prevention and screening program.
When the Bush administration first began planning the smallpox vaccination program in June 2002, AFSCME, SEIU and the United American Nurses warned that without full federal funding for the program, cash-strapped state and local governments would be unable to match the Defense Department’s comprehensive prevention and screening program. Moreover, they said state workers’ compensation laws would not cover vaccine injuries.
As surveys by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and the AFL-CIO show, only 14 states guarantee their workers’ compensation programs will cover smallpox injuries.
Although the smallpox vaccination program is not mandatory, and workers have the right to refuse the vaccine, it is possible some workers may feel pressure from supervisors to take it, according to union safety and health directors. Union members who do not want to take the vaccine have contracts that protect them from retaliation on the job, and other workers have state and federal job protections under the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
No one should feel compelled to take the smallpox vaccine. Union, public health and hospital leaders urge anyone uncertain about getting it or feeling pressure from employers to talk with their physicians, local unions or CDC officials at 888-246-2675 (English) and 888-246-2857 (Español).
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Resources
Many unions, agencies and organizations offer fact sheets, checklists and other helpful information on the smallpox vaccination. Here is a sample of resource sites:
