Rochester Studies Smallpox Vaccine

Treanor and volunteer

Federal officials hoping to learn more about the nation's readiness to fend off a possible bioterrorism attack using the smallpox virus are turning to Rochester for help.

The Medical Center was one of four sites chosen for a nationwide study to see if the country's available doses of vaccine against the long-eradicated disease can be extended.

The Rochester component of the study, led by John Treanor, associate professor of medicine, began in November.

A once routine rite of passage for American schoolchildren, vaccination against smallpox was halted two decades ago after an immunization program using the same vaccine-and the epidemiological work of Donald Henderson '54M (MD)- eradicated the disease in the world's population.

The September 11 terrorist attacks and the multiple occurrences of anthrax spores mailed to government and media offices prompted federal officials to re-examine the country's preparedness against other biological weapons.

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