Smallpox vaccines for biodefense: need and feasibility
Authors: Artenstein, Andrew W1; Grabenstein, John D
Source: Expert Review of Vaccines, Volume 7, Number 8, October 2008 , pp. 1225-1237(13)
Publisher: Expert Reviews
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Abstract:
Smallpox, eradicated as a cause of natural disease through an intensive global effort in the later part of the 20th Century, has resurfaced as a possible agent of bioterrorism. For this reason, there is renewed interest in smallpox vaccines. Live vaccinia virus, an orthopoxvirus related to smallpox, has a long and successful clinical track record as an effective smallpox vaccine; however, its use is associated with uncommon yet serious adverse events. This has led to a surge of recent research into newer-generation smallpox vaccines with improved safety profiles and retained efficacy. This article will review the history of smallpox vaccines, assess the status of newer-generation vaccines and examine the overall risk-versus-benefit profile of smallpox vaccination.Keywords: bioterrorism; myopericarditis; smallpox; smallpox vaccine; vaccine safety; vaccinia
Document Type: Research article
DOI: 10.1586/14760584.7.8.1225
Affiliations: 1: Department of Medicine, Director, Center for Biodefense and Emerging Pathogens and Associate Professor of Medicine and Community Health, Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Department of Medicine, Memorial Hospital of RI, 111 Brewster S
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