The Bush administration is considering a plan that would offer smallpox vaccinations to millions of Americans, The Washington Post reported Saturday.
Based on the recommendations from health and military officials, senior Bush aides favor a plan that would inoculate about 1 million hospital workers and military troops first. That will be followed by shots given to about 10 million emergency workers, according to the newspaper.
Others who actively seek the vaccine would possibly have a way of getting it, the Post said.
Bush will likely make a final decision after Thanksgiving, the paper reported.
While smallpox was eradicated in 1978, concerns about a possible attack have resurfaced because Iraq and North Korea are thought to have stockpiles of the virus.
In 2001, the U.S. government ordered millions of doses of vaccine and now says it has enough for every person in the United States. But some health officials warn that widespread inoculations could kill some and cause serious side effects in others.
