Title: SMALLPOX
1SMALLPOX
Terrorism, Science, Values, Choice, Public Health
and Public Policy
- Health Systems Face
- UNCERTAINTY
William J. Bicknell, MD, MPH School of Public
Health Boston University
2The US Issues
- The Risk of Attack?
- If an attack, the magnitude?
- If an attack, can ring containment quarantine
work? - Vaccine risks?
- Liability issues?
- Are there responsible alternative options?
- Who should decide what?
3Issues in Other Countries
- Risk of Attack
- Risk of Secondary Spread
- Risks Benefits of Vaccination
- Vaccine Effectiveness Pre Post Exposure
- Prevalence of Immunocompromised persons
- Medical Care Delivery System Capacity
- National Wealth
- Opportunity Costs Competing Priorities
- Other?
4Today
- Facts
- Myths and controversies
- What the US is doing
- Where it was just after 911
- Where it is today
- A Decision Analysis Policy Framework for other
countries
5Challenges
- Very limited current knowledge experience about
smallpox - No one has epidemic control in a non-immune
population experience - Relevance of lessons from eradication experience
(characterized by very different circumstances)
is likely to be more limited than realized
6The Risk of Attack
- What was our estimate of 9/11 on 9/10?
- I have never heard any informed person state with
confidence that smallpox has not been
disseminated outside the two repositories - There are reports of vaccination of N.Korean and
Iraqi troops - US, UK, Israel, Germany Australia and perhaps
others are acquiring vaccine. - Israelis vaccinating first responders
- The US has enough for vaccine for all residents
- US is vaccinating first responders (more later)
- Bottom line - Unknown but non-trivial risk of
terrorist attack - Therefore, we need to know something about
smallpox, lets get some basics
7Off the Wall?
- Dr. Fenner No errors and A good case,
reasonable for America and last Friday he said
he thought the framework for other countries made
sense. - Dr. Fauci With regard to the US .excellent and
hopefully will generate some frank and needed
discussion. The stepwise approach that you
recommend makes sense and is quite reasonable.
8Smallpox Disease
- Highly Infectious
- It is dangerous and in error to say or believe
otherwise - Mortality5 to gt 50 - usually 25
- 60 - 80 of survivors disfigured
- Highest in young children
- No specific treatment
- 50 of US and most populations not immune
- 50 may have some residual immunity
- How much immunity ? No one really knows
- An historical note The Aztecs Incas,
immunologically genetically naïve, lost to
smallpox not the Spanish Portuguese -
- F. Fenner 10/11/02
9Smallpox Transmission 1
- Incubation - not infectious 10 -12 days
- Last days of incubation you feel lousy with Fever
- Then fever drops and you feel better but not well
and are infectious - Usually no visible rash yet - just inside mouth
and throat - Classic rash still 2 to 4 days away
- Message - Highly infectious, not very visible or
obvious and not necessarily very sick - Remember terrorists are motivated folks and can
be expected to walk and disseminate even though
feeling ill
10Smallpox transmission 2
- Close contacts are best - within 6 feet
- Think of the morning metro or many other places
- How easy is it to transmit?
- Lets consider some historical examples
11A Chilling Scenario
- One person with smallpox arriving in the country
traveled by train.he was apparently in the
initial phase of the disease, as nobody noticed a
rash on his faceAlmost everyone who traveled
with him in the compartment from Queensborough to
Manchester contracted smallpox, the ticket
collector...and those who traveled with him to
Stalybridge in another train, something like a
hundred people being infected from one single
case. - Not so different from flying in from Europe,
traveling downtown by public transport and taking
a train to the next city - And terrorists are very motivated, so expect them
to travel even if feeling quite ill
Wanklyn (1913) cited in Dixon p311
12More Examples
- Other documented examples
- Yugoslavia 1972 ..denied (having a) rash..no
evidence of skin lesions 11 secondary cases - Tripoli 1946 a highly modified
attack..unrecognized gives rise to fatal
attacks A smuggler infects wife and child - Walking by a window and similar examples are
found in the literature - Also true this is not always the case - but
should we count on good luck? - Worse yet, aerosol by immune disseminators.
- Experts I have spoken with feel, technically,
this is feasible to expect in a terrorist attack.
13Possible Attack Rates in Terrorist Contacts
Something between 10 50 may be a reasonable
assumption
Dixon, p310
14The four day window
- Evidence fromTripoli in 1946 (Dixon 12/48,
369-370) 21 non-immunes vaccinated within 5 days,
all acquired smallpox, most mild, none died - Anecdotal evidence from the eradication years
that the disease is less severe if vaccination
within 4 days of contact - Vaccination within the window may prevent death
and may prevent some disease - But the vaccinator has to find and vaccinate the
infected persons - Contact tracing not likely to begin until 14 to
17 days after first exposure. In most situations,
finding initial contacts within 4 days is
impossible
15The Race to Trace
- Contact identification is the most urgent task
when investigating smallpox cases since
vaccination of close contacts as soon as possible
following exposure but preferably within 3-4 days
may prevent or modify disease. This was the
successful strategy used for the global
eradication of smallpox. CDC Interim Plan,
Guide A, p. A-10 - A race that cannot be won in a terrorist scenario
- An excellent example of DO NOT ALWAYS BELIEVE THE
EXPERTS
Kaplan, Craft Wein
16A Recent Mathematical Model(Kaplan -Yale, Craft
- MIT, Wein - Stanford)
- Clearly demonstrates the limits and inadequacies
of the CDC recommendation for ring containment. - CDC has not yet adequately acknowledged and needs
to update and change their website to reflect
reality. - Also shows that, for any significant exposure,
immediate mass vaccination is far superior. - Ratio of cases and deaths
- Ring/Mass 180/1
I have not checked CDC website in the last 10
days
17A Recent Mathematical Model - Details(Kaplan
-Yale, Craft - MIT, Wein - Stanford)
- New York City
- 1000 Persons initially infected
- Compares Trace Vaccination (Ring Containment) and
Immediate Mass Vaccination - Ring Containment 324,000 cases, 97,000 deaths,
control slow, epidemic still growing at 100 days - Mass Vaccination 1,720 cases, 525 deaths,
control fast, epidemic essentially over in 30 to
45 days - Also demonstrates limited value and great
difficulties with quarantine and isolation of
susceptibles and the asymptomatic
18Kaplan Unpublished
19Ring May Be More Myth than Reality
- Kaplan, Wein Craft - (In Press)
- Central West Africa eradication data
recalculated. - Growing levels of population immunity fully
explain the decline in new cases. - Bicknell Conversations with Lane, Margolis and
Bloem - We went into a village where there was a case
and assumed everyone was a contact - Thats local mass vaccination
- Prof. Fenner - Surveillance, finding new cases,
was critical. Then the response was local mass
vaccination. - Conclusion Contact tracing, isolation,
quarantine and ring vaccination seems to have
been more the exception than the rule.
20Plausible US Scenario after 40 days(Play with
the model ask wbicknel_at_bu.edu)
- 5 terrorists each travel to 3 urban areas
- 200 close contacts per city
- 20 of contacts infected (40 cases/site)
- 20 mortality
- 5 of infected contacts travel to other cities
- 1ary contacts infect 9 others, 2ary 5, 3ary 3
- Cities Towns - 1,600 (21 by day 11)
- Smallpox Cases - 114,000
- Smallpox Deaths - 22,000
21 Very Bad/Extreme Case ScenarioFirst 40 days
- 10 terrorists each travel to 5 different urban
areas - 500 close contacts per city
- 40 of contacts infected (200 cases/site)
- 30 mortality
- 5 of infected contacts travel to other cities
- 1ary contacts infect 10 others, 2ary 7, 3ary 4
- Cities Towns - 40,000 (100 by day 11, then
1000s) - Smallpox Cases - 3,600,000
- Smallpox Deaths - 1,000,000
22Ring Containment, Isolation Quarantine
- Eradication was accomplished in populations with
high and growing population immunity, relatively
low mobility and without malicious intent - A
MAGNIFICANT ACHIEVMENT. - Terrorism today is different
- Malicious intent
- Low to absent immunity
- Highly mobile terrorists and a more mobile
population - Transmission to 2 or 3 - unrealistically low
(Meltzer, et al) - The 4 day window - may not exist and not really
relevant - Vaccination within the window not likely
- Widespread isolation quarantine - A near
hopeless task, chaos and possible national
shutdown - In brief - A plan that cannot work in a terrorist
scenario and saw far less use in the eradication
years than is commonly believed.
23Ring Containment - Summary
- Today, to the extent possible, with the first
case or two, vaccinate probable contacts as soon
as possible as you prepare for local or wider
mass vaccination. - Consider contact tracing, isolation and
quarantine if - residual cases in an environment with high
population immunity - an isolated exposure, particularly if there is
high population immunity - Inadequate for a mobile population, with low to
absent immunity and a malicious exposure in
multiple cities - For controlling secondary spread in other
countries - not a primary tool
24The Magnitude of an Attack
- Plan for the worst, hope for the best
- Malicious and well executed
- Multiple terrorists, Multiple cities
25The Vaccine
- It works and works well
- There is plenty for everyone in the US and will
be lots more - It is has more side effects including deaths than
other vaccines currently in wide use - Who dies and who has the most severe side
effects? Children 9 and under (NEJM, p1202,
11/27/69. - Accidental inoculation most common kid to kid
- About 80 of the serious complications and deaths
(1968 data) avoided if children not vaccinated - Teen and adult deaths extremely rare (CDC, Israel
US military 1968 data) - Semi-permeable membrane dressing prevents 95 to
99 of viral shedding (Dr. Belshe, 5/8/01 at CDC) - Atopic dermatitis tricky (avoiding children helps
a lot) - New and old vaccine probably similar
complications - VIG good for many but not all complications
26New Vaccines
- Acambis -Replicating, not attenuated
- Intended to mimic NYBH
- Expect similar side effects
- License on a fast track
- Japanese LC16m8 - Replicating, attenuated
- Fewer less severe side effects
- Still not OK for immunocompromised
- Earliest, if developed 2005
- Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA), Live
non-replicating - Intention is OK for everyone
- Earliest 2005
- LC16m8 MVA - Can we be really sure they will be
effective in humans? How to know?
27Vaccine Issues - 1
- Immunocompromised are at the highest risk of
vaccine complications and of death from smallpox - Pre-exposure vaccination done with forethought
provides a calm atmosphere where education and
precautions can be assured - And if an attack, counseled to self isolate with
selective vaccination based on well thought out
criteria - Post-exposure will be in crisis with ability to
protect the immunocompromised from complications
greatly decreased - Many will want to be vaccinated and not reveal
their status - Our ability to identify and protect very limited
when in crisis - Deaths from vaccine complications can be expected
to exceed pre-exposure PLUS more smallpox deaths
in the immunocompromised
28Vaccine Issues - 2
- Accidental vaccination of contacts of vaccinees
- Non-immunocompromised
- Immunocompromised
- Extremely rare
- Almost exclusively in household contacts
- Mostly children to children
- Vaccine complications including deaths most
common and most severe in children - Solution
- Pre-exposure do not immunize under age 9
- Use semi-permeable membrane dressings (Dr.
Belshe) - Post-exposure drop to age 1 (and below if risk of
exposure is high)
29Vaccine Issues - 3
- 1968 data - Vaccination deaths in gt15 all (2 of
14 million) would (should) be screened out today
(aplastic anemia and leukemia) - If children lt10 not vaccinated pre-exposure,
careful screening and use of semi-permeable
membrane dressing - Severe complications and deaths should (my
opinion) be at or below historical rates
30Bifurcated Needle or Jet Injector?
- Jet is faster
- Jet can be difficult to maintain
- Some evidence of inadvertent disease transmission
- US currently off the table
- CDC is developing a new, safer jet injector
- Dr. Bruce Weniger is the US expert at CDC
31Dilute Vaccine Lasts 180 Days
From Dr. Belshe ACIP CDC Presentation May 8, 2002
32US Position - Fall 01 to Mid 02
- Reality - Limited Vaccine, have to prioritize
- Did not say this, rather gave false assurances
that Ring, etc.would work - State Health Officers silent
- Substantial federal and state bad judgment
- Believe public must be reassured - WRONG
- Know it wont work but dont want to rock the
boat - WRONG - Fear of Loosing federal funds
- Possibly realistic and, to the extent it is true,
reveals a dangerous weakness in the federal
process - And dangerous timidity on the part of state
public health officials
33Who should decide in the US?(US cultural bias)
- Attack risk is unknowable
- Personal risk can be illuminated
- Citizens make decisions about everything from
participating in research protocols to deciding
between vaginal delivery and C-section,
angioplasty and open heart surgery on a daily
basis - Smallpox vaccination is no more difficult,
arguably much simpler with far lower risks than
many other choices - Let the citizen decide within the framework of
thoughtful pre-exposure guidelines - Unfortunately, we have seen that relying on PH
professionals in the US may not be safe - more
reason let individuals decide for themselves - This slide expresses my opinion and is,
culturally, very specific to the US. Many PH
professionals disagree.
34Why Voluntary Pre-Exposure Vaccination in the US?
- Decreases consequences of an attack
- May decrease likelihood of attack
- Provides the best protection for the
immunocompromised - Is low cost and relatively easy to do as part of
ongoing care - Recognizes the limited surge capacity of US
hospitals and near impossibility of quarantine - In case of attack
- Makes containment control much easier, whatever
the strategy - Decreases panic and maintains order
- Minimizes interruption of the nations normal
business - Is realistic, has face validity and is easily
understood by the professional and lay public - By decreasing the likelihood and severity of an
attack may benefit the rest of the world - Will protect the most people at the lowest cost
35Objections that were raised
- Our overall medical care delivery system is
inequitable. Therefore pre-exposure vaccination
will unfairly protect those with health insurance - We cannot solve all social problems before
protecting against terrorism - Wait for newer safer vaccines and/or better,
simpler diagnostic methods - The country needs protection today. We must plan
for and use tools we have while developing better
tools - We cant vaccinate unless we are prepared to
vaccinate the rest of the world - US vaccination, to the extent it decreases the
likelihood of our being attacked , deceases risk
to other countries. Many other countries have or
are acquiring vaccine. This is fundamentally a
foreign policy and foreign assistance question - A rational terrorist wont use smallpox as it
will boomerang - Lets hope this is correct. However, it is
irrational to apply our logic to terrorists
36Inhibit the epidemiologic pump first protect
those most at risk
- First responders, at a minimum, should include
ALL staff of hospitals, clinics and physicians
offices ( 5.5 million people) - The definition of first responder priority for
vaccination should be determined by each state - Which health workers?
- Who in the executive branch?
- Fire and police?
- Essential public service providers?
- Media crews?
- The Federal Government decides for itself -
1,000,000 doses going to the army (NYT Oct 5)
37First - a Measured Trial
- Resolve liability issues
- Careful guidelines to protect immunocompromised
- Vaccinate 500,000 first responders (Weve already
vaccinated over 11,000 civilians since 1983, plus
many military in the US until 90 and Israel
until 96) - Use first responder volunteers to donate blood
for VIG production - Observe vaccine complications very carefully
- Revise guidelines and approach as indicated
- Repeat with 1 to 2,000,000 first responders
- Observe with care and revise as indicated
- Vaccinate balance of first responders
38Then - Expand to the general population
- VIG now widely available
- Public education as to risks and benefits of
vaccination taking care to honestly and carefully
distinguish between very serious/very rare and
not so serious and far more common complications - Informed consent
- Greatly reduce complications and deaths by
restricting vaccination to - Persons older than 9 years
- Persons who are not immunocompromised and do not
have other disqualifying conditions - Urge vaccinees to
- Announce their intent to family, friends and
co-workers - Use appropriate dressing
- Possibly consider avoiding crowds
39Roles Responsibilities
- CDC
- Safety guidelines for pre- and post-exposure
vaccination - NOT the societal or individual risk
decision - Technical assistance on request
- Guidelines for pre- and post-exposure state
action - States
- Determine risk for their state
- Make state-specific plans and recommendations
- Who are first responders?
- Pre-exposure guidance for general public
- Post-exposure planning
- Individuals
- Assess their own risk
- Opt or decline pre-exposure vaccination
40My Recommendations Conclusions for the US
- CDC (analogous to WHO) guidance for
- Pre-exposure vaccination
- Post-exposure vaccination
- State planning frameworks
- CDC technical assistance (as capacity allows)
- State (analogous to countries) control (nb
federal reportable diseases) - Individual choice
- Assessment of risk and benefit in the US should
rest with those who have the risk - Citizens - Provides the most protection, at the lowest cost,
with the least chaos, and recognizes that
response will and must primarily be a local and
state responsibility - Pre-exposure voluntary vaccination protects
against a specific threat and puts prevention
first. This is what public health and responsible
government are all about
41Likely Results of Pre-Exposure Vaccination
- Based on survey data, 50 to 70 of population
will opt for vaccination - Very rare serious complications and deaths
- Decreased risk to the immunocompromised from
vaccination and smallpox - Trained vaccinators and supplies in place in case
of attack - Possible decreased likelihood of attack
- Containment and control far easier in case of
attack - Hospitals and the health care system not
overwhelmed - Panic, disorder and the interruption of essential
services and activities minimized - Known specific preventive steps taken before a
terrorist attack - The public has an example of sound proactive
public health
42Public Trust
- Whatever is done, it is vital that actions,
including discussions, take place in a way that
builds public trust - Inappropriate secrecy, silence or recommendations
that do not make sense erode public trust - The responses of the federal government and state
health departments to bioterrorism provide an
opportunity to build trust and understanding of
the importance of public health - Our response to smallpox and bioterrorism, if
done with humility, openly and non-defensively,
can be a win for everyone, protecting the
publics health and strengthening the public
health system
43Liability
- This is a big US issue
- A combination of federal, state and private
actions are well on the way to solving the
pre-exposure liability problem - and will vary in other countries
- Other Countries
- A function of law and custom
- Lets hope few are as litigious as the US!
44Worldwide - What to do?
- Country Specific Risk Response Profile Based
on - Risk of Direct Attack
- Risk of Secondary Spread
- Strength of Medical Care PH Delivery System
- HIV/AIDS Prevalence
- Opportunity Costs
- Economic Social Consequences
- Cultural Values
- Wealth
45Different Strokes for Different folks
- Not flippant - circumstances vary greatly
- Canada and Mexico
- Ireland
- Israel and the Occupied Territories
- Bhutan
- Singapore
- Cambodia
- Australia
- Lesotho
- The Marshall Islands
46National Policy Options
- 1 - Countries at high risk of attack
- 2 - Countries at high risk of secondary spread
- 3 - Countries at moderate risk of secondary
spread - 4 - Countries at lower risk of secondary
infection - 5 - Countries with special risks
47High risk of attack
- Minimum package Voluntary vaccination of
eligible medical and public health first
responders. Stockpile vaccine sufficient for the
entire population and stockpile VIG sufficient to
manage probable vaccine complications. - Maximum package Minimum package plus voluntary
vaccination of all remaining first responders.
Make the vaccine available on a voluntary basis
to the general public.
48High risk of secondary spread
- Minimum package Stockpile vaccine sufficient for
50 to 100 of the population. Stockpile VIG
sufficient to manage probable vaccine
complications. - Maximum package Minimum package plus vaccinate
medical and public health first responders.
49Moderate risk of secondary spread
- Minimum package Stockpile sufficient vaccine and
VIG to initiate but not complete widespread
vaccination. Vaccine and VIG stockpile
sufficient for 10 to 25 of the national
population. - Maximum package Minimum package plus vaccinate a
limited number of medical and public health first
responders.
50Lower risk of secondary spread
- Minimum Package Assure rapid availability of
vaccine and VIG from sources in country or
abroad. - Maximum package Stockpile vaccine and VIG
sufficient for 10 of the population. Vaccinate a
limited number of medical and public health first
responders.
51Special risk countries
- If a country has a severely under-funded health
system or has a high prevalence of AIDS, as is
the case in much of eastern and southern Africa,
then the combination of risks to the
immunocompromised and the opportunity costs of
immunizing against smallpox are sufficiently
great to merit doing no more than assuring the
rapid availability of vaccine and VIG should
smallpox occur.
52A Menu
- Pre-exposure
- Take no action - This can be a correct choice
- Vaccination of first responders
- From very limited to extensive
- With or without semi-permeable dressing
- Vaccination of general public
- None, voluntary, mandatory and dressing?
- Stockpiling of vaccine, needles and VIG
- Assessing regional resources
- Post-exposure
- Confirming the diagnosis
- Accidental or deliberate?
- Travel restrictions from other countries?
- Vaccination - How widespread?
53Possible WHO Roles
- Assist countries in developing their own
Risk/Response profile - Provide assistance with advance planning
- Stockpile sufficient vaccine to initiate a rapid,
effective response to manage secondary spread in
lower income countries - Stockpile bifurcated needles
- Consider establishing an open purchasing contract
for dressings - Identify and train members of regional rapid
response teams - Identify/Provide laboratory diagnostic support
54Take Away Messages
- 4 day window more myth than reality
- Ring containment not for terrorism and not much
else - The old vaccine, calf lymph or tissue culture is
what we know works - Other vaccines not yet ready, may work, but can
we be certain? - Countries should plan based on their own values
and assessment of risks, benefits and opportunity
costs - One size WILL NOT fit all.
55Summary
- Hope - Smallpox will never return
- Smallpox is the worst bioterrorism threat
- The US is on the verge of being well prepared
- Israel is well prepared
- All countries should give this some thought
- High attack risk countries should minimally do
selective pre-exposure prepare for post attack
area or national mass vaccination - Countries (all other) at risk of secondary spread
need their own plan. - Responses should vary from nothing to selective
pre-exposure vaccination with stockpiling for
all. - WHO has a major role to play in country-specific
planning regional preparation
56Thank You
Email ltwbicknel_at_bu.edugt