Researchers at Saint Louis University School of Medicine are leading a new national study to determine how long it would take – in the event of a smallpox outbreak – for a vaccine to start protecting Americans.
Doctor Sharon Frey, principal investigator for the study, says the new vaccine being tested is similar to the existing vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but does not have the side effects of the existing vaccine.
Overall, up to 215 people will take part in the study, nationwide. As many as 50 of those volunteers will take part in the Saint Louis University testing. Volunteers must be healthy individuals who are at least 18 years of age. Only those who have never been vaccinated against smallpox would be eligible to take part. Routine vaccinations for smallpox were stopped in the United States in 1971.
Volunteers can contact the Saint Louis University Center for Vaccine Development at 314-977-6333.