title: [The late media emergency of smallpox vaccine, news coverage of Spanish press (1999-2004)].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Discussions on the need for smallpox virus preservation in 1999 focused attention on an eradicated disease 20 years ago. Smallpox was replaced as a potential candidate to be used as a bioterrorist weapon because of the international alarm scenario produced after the 11/9 events in USA. The reactivation of a vaccine which remained forgotten was the direct consequence. The initial target groups were the security forces of America. Spain was also among the countries that were interested in acquiring the smallpox vaccine. The aim of this study is to analyze the considerable media coverage of smallpox obtained in our country.
  
  
  METHODS
  Systematic review of published news in the four largest national daily newspapers (ABC, El Mundo, El País and La Vanguardia) for the period 1999-2004 of the Dow Jones Factiva document database. "Smallpox" were used as a key word. From the obtained data, a qualitative and quantitative analysis was done.
  
  
  RESULTS
  416 reviews were analyzed; the newspaper El Mundo was the most interested in these news (158 citations, 37.98%). Most of the news were published in 2003 (152, 36.5%) The year with more news about smallpox (2003) coincides with the purchase of vaccines in Spain. The type of messages in the news was highly changeable over this six-year period. Those related to "politics and diplomacy", "epidemiological risk", "bioterrorism" and "vaccine" were predominant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The alarm raised around the smallpox vaccination was a media phenomenon due to political strategy issues rather than a real public health problem.
authors.forename: Pedro Javier
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Martínez-Martínez
authors.affiliation: José Tuells, Cátedra Balmis de Vacunología, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud - Campus de San Vicente Raspeig Ap.99. E-03080, Alicante, Spain. tuells@ua.es.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tuells
authors.forename: Gema
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Colmenar-Jarillo
mesh_terms: D015706:Bibliometrics; D023482:Bioterrorism; D060740:Disease Eradication; D034462:Dissent and Disputes; D006801:Humans; D008402:Mass Media; D009524:Newspapers as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011057:Politics; D011634:Public Health; D011639:Public Opinion; D012899:Smallpox / Q000517:prevention & control; D012900:Smallpox Vaccine / Q000600:supply & distribution; D013030:Spain; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D012900:Smallpox Vaccine