Area health organizations are following federal and state guidelines for the smallpox vaccine.

President George Bush announced a plan Friday to vaccinate 500,000 military personnel and recommend that emergency workers also get the vaccine. Bush said he will also be vaccinated.

The smallpox vaccine has not been used in the United States since 1980. It is considered one of the most dangerous vaccines. Of those who get the vaccine, one or two of every one million persons will die from it.

In Austin, the Mower County Public Health Department and the Austin Medical Center have plans for their health workers and plans set in place in case of an emergency outbreak.

Mower County Public Health will ask some of their employees to volunteer for the vaccine, said Margene Gunderson, director of community health services.

The employees who get the vaccine will be part of a regional response team made up of 10 counties in southeastern Minnesota. Forty or 50 people will be a part of that team, she said. Only those who have been vaccinated will be allowed to administer the vaccine.

The vaccine is not yet available and likely will not be available in Mower County, she said.

"There's going to designated sites where people can get the vaccination," Gunderson said.

Austin Medical Center is planning to have a smallpox emergency response team, said Dr. Fred Bogot, AMC's medical director. He said 42 people probably will get the vaccine, including physicians, nurses and housekeeping personnel.

"We will form a team to deal with the short-term care of people exposed to smallpox," Bogot said.

AMC already has three negative airflow rooms, which prevent bacteria from going into other parts of the building, he said. The rooms were put in for those who were diagnosed with tuberculosis or other infectious diseases.

Austin Medical Center has not asked for volunteers yet, but the response program should be starting after the end of January, Bogot said.

Smallpox was eradicated in 1980 and vaccinations also stopped then, according to the World Health Organization. Smallpox produces a characteristic rash, particularly on the face, arms and legs, according to the WHO. Spots then form, which become filled with clear fluid and then pus. Eventually the spots fall off. Symptoms of smallpox include fever and fatigue, according to WHO.

About 30 percent of those who contract smallpox die, Bogot said.

Smallpox is spread from person to person contact, but has an incubation period between seven to 17 days after exposure. It only becomes contagious once a fever develops and a person is contagious until the last scab falls off, according to WHO.

People in the general public can request the vaccine, but the government does not recommend it because of the health risks and because there is no imminent threat of an outbreak, according to the Minnesota Department of Health The vaccine will not be readily available to the general public until phase three of the place, which is likely to begin in 2004.

If there is an outbreak, people will have time to get the vaccination before catching it, according to MDH.

People who have weakened immune systems due to such conditions as HIV/AIDS or chemotherapy treatment, should not be vaccinated. Also pregnant women and nursing mothers, those with skin disorders, such as eczema, and people who live with anyone who has those conditions, should not get the vaccination.

Bogot said there is a screening process for those requesting the vaccine.

If a person does become ill from the vaccination, they have not contracted smallpox, Bogot said. The vaccination is a strain of vaccinia, which is similar, but less severe, than smallpox. Vaccinia is contagious, but healthy people can recover from it, he said.

If an outbreak were to occur, it is safer for people be vaccinated than to risk catching it, Gunderson said.

"The risk of having smallpox disease are higher than risks associated with getting vaccinated," she said.

President George Bush announced a plan Friday to vaccinate 500,000 military personnel and recommend that emergency workers also get the vaccine. Bush said he will also be vaccinated.

The smallpox vaccine has not been used in the United States since 1980. It is considered one of the most dangerous vaccines. Of those who get the vaccine, one or two of every one million persons will die from it.

The MDH announced Friday it is prepared to start vaccinating 5,000 to 10,000 Minnesotans within the next few weeks. This effort will focus on those who would be expected to play a key role in responding to an actual smallpox outbreak, according to the department.

"The actual likelihood of a terrorist attack involving smallpox can't be known or calculated with any kind of precision," said Dr. Harry Hull, Minnesota's state epidemiologist. "But if such an incident did ever occur, we know that the results would be devastating. That's why we're preceding with this effort."

The first part of the plan, called phase one, offers the vaccination to the following:

n Patient care teams in hospitals that are equipped to handle smallpox patients; emergency medical personnel

n Other health care providers

n Infectious disease investigative teams

n Teams of people to administer the vaccine

n A limited number of emergency management, law enforcement, emergency response and critical infrastructure personnel

--The Associated Press contributed to this report

Cari Quam can be reached at 434-2235 or by e-mail at :mailto: cari.quam@austindailyherald.com