Myopericarditis Following Smallpox Vaccination Among Vaccinia-Naive US Military Personnel

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Abstract
We report the first 18 cases of probable myopericarditis following smallpox vaccination among otherwise healthy, young adult members of the US military who were vaccinated between mid-December 2002 and March 14, 2003 (N = 326 356; 230 734 primary vaccinees and 95 622 revaccinees). Despite decades as the standard vaccine for US civilian and military populations, the New York City Board of Health (NYCBOH) strain of vaccinia virus (Dryvax, Wyeth Laboratories, Marietta, Pa) has only rarely been associated with myopericarditis following vaccination. Only 5 cases were reported in the medical literature between 1955 and 1986.1-8