Last Updated

11 Dec 2002

Source: The Daily Telegraph (UK), April 15, 2002.

Ministers rule out mass vaccination for smallpox

By David Millward

DETAILED plans to counter the use of smallpox in a biological attack by terrorists have been drawn up in Whitehall, but ministers have ruled out the re-introduction of mass vaccination.

Instead, the Government would create a series of "firewalls", treating those with the disease and inoculating people in direct or indirect contact with them to prevent smallpox spreading.

At the same time there is to be an international exercise next month to co-ordinate cross-border co-operation among members of the G7 group of industrial nations.

But the decision to buy 16 million doses of the vaccine was overshadowed by the controversy over the award of the £32 million contract to PowderJect after it emerged that Dr Paul Drayson, its chief executive, donated £50,000 to Labour nine months ago.

It left the Government embroiled in yet more damaging "cash for contracts" allegations. But it is understood that ministers chose PowderJect on military and security advice.

PowderJect is ready to make available the Lister strain of the vaccine, the same as that being developed for military use at the Ministry of Defence laboratory in Porton Down, Wilts.

Ministers were told that it would be advisable to ensure that the same strains were being used for military and civilian purposes.

But PowderJect's main rival, Acambis, which has won the contract to provide 92 million doses of the New York City strain of the vaccine, said it could have met British demand if the Government had not insisted on the Lister strain.

A spokesman for the Cambridge-based company said its version had been tested, but admitted that it would have taken Acambis two years to test and produce the doses of Lister vaccine.

The Government's decision to press ahead with buying doses of the Lister strain was endorsed by Colin Kaplan, Emeritus Professor of Microbiology at Reading University.

Prof Kaplan said that although there was little to choose between the Lister and New York strains, harmonising military and civilian policy was sensible.

He said he believed that the greatest threat was from bio-terrorism.

"If you believe that some form of biological warfare is in prospect, then having vaccine stocks is a sensible thing to do. Smallpox is destructive and easier to spread around than anthrax.

"All you have to do is smuggle someone on to the Tube with the virus. He then shakes a handkerchief."

Those nearby would feel ill after about 10 days and also start infecting others. But it would take around 14 days for smallpox to be diagnosed.