The new cell culture smallpox vaccine should be offered to the general population

A series of major factors must be weighed in deciding whether or not, and to what extent, a particular country should consider pre-exposure vaccination for smallpox. These include the risk of a bioterrorist attack using smallpox, the risk of secondary spread from another country, the risks and benefits of vaccination, the effectiveness of vaccination pre- and post-exposure, the prevalence of immunocompromised persons, the capacity of the medical care delivery system and the wealth of a nation. We review here the issues and variables relevant for policy making, propose a framework for country-specific decision making and suggest the World Health Organization has a key role to play, particularly with regard to lower-income countries. In doing so, we support the proposition. Copyright (C) 2003 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.