FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JANUARY 31, 2003

AIDS SURVIVAL PROJECT ADDRESSES CONCERNS,
OFFERS INFO ON SMALLPOX VACCINES

AIDS Survival Project (ASP), Georgia’s only coalition of people living with and affected by HIV and AIDS, has been compiling information from many sources regarding the concerns of people with HIV and AIDS in light of the state’s vaccination plan for smallpox. The organization’s nationally recognized comprehensive Treatment Resource Center (TRC) is available to provide information and answer questions about possible risks for immune-compromised individuals. ASP also plans to hold a public forum in February (details to be announced soon) to provide detailed information and answer questions.

In December 2002, the Georgia Department of Human Resources Division of Public Health submitted its smallpox pre-event vaccination plan to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), following federal recommendations to protect health workers against the possibility of bioterrorism. The four-month, four-phase plan has already begun with the issuance of vaccine to some smallpox public health response teams in metro Atlanta and smallpox healthcare teams from trauma hospitals throughout the metro area.

The CDC has issued guidelines for the use of the vaccine, which include warnings that those with weakened immune systems, including people with HIV and AIDS, should not get the vaccine. ASP Treatment Resource Center Director Dan Dunable noted that in addition to being aware of the risks involved in getting the vaccine, people with HIV/AIDS should also know that there is a risk in coming into close contact with someone who has been vaccinated..

"The smallpox vaccine does not carry live smallpox, but does carry live vaccinia (cowpox) which can be spread to other persons in close, household-type contact with the vaccinated person for up to three weeks after vaccination," Dunable said. "The vaccine can have side effects ranging from mild to potentially life-threatening."

Vaccinia is spread by touching a vaccination site before it has healed or by touching bandages, clothing, or other material contaminated with live virus from the vaccination site and then touching another part of the body or touching someone else. The vaccination site often becomes itchy, which may lead to scratching, rubbing, or touching the site.

The CDC has issued guidelines (available at www.cdc.gov/smallpox) for anyone who lives with someone who has been vaccinated. Some state health departments have gone even farther by warning that an HIV-positive person living with someone who has been vaccinated should consider living apart to avoid contact with vaccinia for a period of about 14 days.

Some AIDS organizations, such as the San Francisco-based Project Inform and the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA), are also questioning whether people infected with HIV should be told across the board that they should avoid the vaccine.

"For those with relatively intact immune systems and few HIV-related medical complications, but in situations with a higher probability of smallpox exposure, vaccination may be significantly less risky that the consequences of exposure," NAPWA said in a November 2002 letter to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson.

Nevertheless, the CDC is recommending that any individual offered the vaccine should tell their immunization provider if they have weakened immune systems (or other contraindicated conditions) or even if they suspect they might. But a joint statement by Lambda Legal, amfAR, and the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association stresses that the vaccine is voluntary and that no one needs to offer a reason for refusal.

"If you decline to volunteer for vaccination, you do not have to disclose your HIV status or the HIV status of the people with whom you live," the joint statement says. "In fact, disclosure of HIV status may not be a good idea."

"The decision as to whether to be vaccinated or not is a serious one, as is the even larger picture of how to avoid close contact with those who may have been vaccinated. AIDS Survival Project is gathering all the information available from all points of view so people can make an informed decision," Dunable said. "While there is certainly no cause for alarm, the best prevention, as always, is education."

People with questions regarding the smallpox vaccine and HIV may contact AIDS Survival Project’s Treatment Resource Center at 404-874-7926, ext. 19, Mon. – Fri. 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or email gburgess@aidssurvivalproject.org.