Fla. Sheriff Takes Lead on Smallpox Inoculation

Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary didn’t wince Tuesday as he was pricked in his left arm 15 times with a small, two-pronged needle containing the smallpox vaccine.

Beary hopes most of his department’s 1,400 deputies follow his example by becoming among the first law enforcement officers in the nation to get inoculated against the deadly virus. The inoculations are voluntary.

The sheriff decided to provide for the immunization of his deputies independent of plans by the federal government to inoculate 500,000 emergency workers and 500,000 military personnel. President Bush was expected to announce immunization plans this week. Eventually, all Americans are expected to have access to the vaccine.

“The best place to be is the lead dog on the sled,” Beary said. “We on the local level are waiting for the federal government to get things done. They’re doing a good job up there but I don’t have time to wait.”

Routine vaccinations in the United States ended in 1972, making the population vulnerable to an attack. In 1980, the disease was declared eradicated worldwide, and all samples of the virus were to have been destroyed -- except those held by special labs in Atlanta and Moscow.

The broad fear is that terrorists might get their hands on some samples, or somehow come up with their own virus, and use it to attack unprotected citizens.

The highly contagious virus, for which there is no known treatment, historically killed 30% of its victims when it was able to spread unchecked by inoculations.

Officials at both the International Assn. of Chiefs of Police and the National Sheriffs’ Assn. in Alexandria, Va., said they knew of no other sheriff’s office that had moved to get deputies inoculated.

Beary said he decided to proceed with immunizations because Orlando was home to a clinical trial to create a treatment for people who get sick from the smallpox vaccinations. The department is getting the vaccine from Mid-Florida Biologicals, which is overseeing development of the treatment.