US approve small pox vaccine

A new small pox vaccine has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), making it the first for over 75 years.

The vaccine, which is produced by UK based company Acambis, has been produced following several clinical trials and as a result of a contract made in 2001 after concern that a potential bio-terrorist attack could involve the smallpox virus.

"The licensing of ACAM2000 will make us better prepared as a nation because it provides an important, effective tool for protecting first responders and individuals with a high risk of exposure from this potentially lethal disease," Rear Admiral W Craig Vanderwagen, assistant secretary for preparedness and response for the FDA, told efluxmedia.com.

Smallpox was eradicated in 1977 and the last case was seen in the US in 1949. America also stopped routine vaccination of children in 1972.

The FDA said that the vaccine would not be sold commercially in the country.