WASHINGTON — Federal health officials said Tuesday that they are investigating whether the smallpox vaccine contributed to the heart attack of a Maryland health-care worker who died Sunday.
They also are investigating the case of another vaccine recipient who suffered a heart attack and is on life support, as well as cardiac problems among five other health-care workers who volunteered for the government's smallpox vaccination program.
Medical experts do not believe the vaccinations caused the heart attacks, said Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But it is possible that the vaccine, which is made of a live virus related to smallpox, caused some inflammation that in turn worsened preexisting health conditions, she said.
"As a precautionary measure," Gerberding said, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson decided Tuesday that, for now, individuals with a history of heart disease should not be vaccinated against smallpox.
The new policy and the news of the first death of a vaccine recipient mark the latest setbacks for the 2-month-old program, which has been plagued by low participation.
But officials emphasized that vaccinations of health-care workers and first-responders -- those who would be the first to investigate and treat victims of a potential terrorist attack using the virus -- would continue.
"We are certainly not stopping the program," Gerberding said. "This is still critically important to our preparedness capacity.... The potential for terrorism has probably never been higher."
Immediately after Thompson's decision, CDC officials organized a conference call to tell state public health officials about the new vaccination guidelines. Beginning today, health-care workers volunteering for the vaccine will be asked if they have a history of heart problems or health conditions that contribute to cardiac disease.
If they do, they will be told that they do not qualify for the vaccine.
Individuals vaccinated in the previous two months of the program also will be notified of a possible risk of heart problems.
"We want to err on the side of safety," Gerberding said.
Many state health officials responded in kind.
"Within 15 minutes of getting off the CDC call, we called people in our nine emergency preparedness regions," said Tim Church, spokesman for the Washington State Department of Health.
