Lois Capps: “It goes without saying that during the past week, with tragic incidents of death as a result, some serious concerns have…”

“It goes without saying that during the past week, with tragic incidents of death as a result, some serious concerns have been raised about the safety of this vaccine. These incidents speak even more forcefully for the need to do more research, find more information, and provide more screening about the smallpox vaccine. But if the administration insists that America's nurses, firefighters, and other first responders must be vaccinated against this disease to provide a protection, a bioterrorism protection shield, then now more than ever it is critical that we provide the peace of mind that these first responders need. Our first responders must know that in the event of an adverse or even fatal reaction, their needs and the needs of their families will be taken care of. The overall goal of the administration is to make sure we are prepared for a possible outbreak of smallpox as part of a terrorist attack. But this initiative is failing.”