Britain on Smallpox Alert

December 2, 2002
By Charles Reiss, Political Editor, Evening Standard

Dramatic emergency plans to counter a biological warfare terrorist attack on Britain were announced by the Government today.

Within the next eight weeks, 12 disaster centres will be set up in London and across the United Kingdom ready to meet an attempt to spread smallpox among the population. In addition, some 700 key medical and Ministry of Defence staff are to be vaccinated against the disease to act as the front line against any attack.

The 12 "regional smallpox response groups" will hold supplies of vaccine under guard ready for rapid use.

The groups, including doctors, scientists, nurses and other health staff will be effectively combat-trained to counter an attack.

The Health Department and the Ministry of Defence, in a joint announcement, said there was "no evidence of a specific threat of a smallpox attack on the UK" but that it was "sensible and prudent" to ensure that any potential attack could be effectively dealt with.

Smallpox has always been seen as by far the most deadly of the biological weapons that could be available to al Qaeda or some other terrorist group. It is spread more easily and more rapidly than other germ warfare agents, with lethal effect.

The emergency plan lays down a series of "scenarios" for a terrorist strike and the proposals to deal with it.

The "primary" strategy would be to "contain and 'ring vaccinate' around any outbreak". The teams of key staff already vaccinated, says the government plan, are "central" to delivering the strategy.

The moves are the clearest sign yet of the seriousness with which the Government is treating the threat of a major attack.

Health Minister John Hutton said stocks of smallpox vaccine had already been substantially increased and announced that a "second procurement" had recently begun to add to supplies.

Today's proposals will be discussed over the coming weeks before they are finalised, to come into effect in January, Downing Street said.

Mr Hutton said there were three components to the response: "Improved vaccine stocks, a plan of action and a cohort of immunised staff to deal safely with any potential smallpox cases."

The 12 regional response groups, Mr Hutton went on, would include infectious disease physicians, public health physicians, microbiologists, acute care and communicable disease control nurses and occupational health staff.

"This core group of NHS staff will need to be immune to smallpox and therefore able to react quickly and work safely with patients with actual or suspected smallpox. Preparation for the vaccination of these key workers is now under way."

Downing Street said it had no knowledge of vaccination plans for ministers. Essential staff will be vaccinated on a voluntary basis.

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