This month, we continue our new initiative - the Prematurity Campaign. This five-year campaign is our boldest, most important campaign since the fight against Polio! In our personal spotlight section we tell you about a very special baby, Myranda Stanley born after only 26 weeks. To answer many questions that have been coming in regarding the Smallpox vaccine and pregnancy we have included an article on the subject. Feel free to pass this information along to friends.

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My name is Angela Stanley and I learned that I was expecting a baby in November of 1999. I had my first prenatal appointment the following December and learned that I was due in July of 2000. I had the worst pregnancy anybody could imagine. I had everything from hypermesis gravidarum to peri-rectal abscesses. But never in my wildest dreams did I think I would deliver my baby at 26 weeks gestation. At 8:57 pm on Tuesday, April 11, 2000, Myranda Lynne Stanley was born weighing in at 2 pounds 3.3 ounces. She was 14 inches long and red as a cherry. She was so tiny but still beautiful to me. I only got to see her for a moment before the neonatologist whisked her away.

The next day I finally got to see her. She was on a high frequency ventilator and under the radiant warmer. Her eyes were still fused shut so I couldn't tell what color they were, but she had a lot of fuzzy hair on her head. That was the first day of a long journey.

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1 in 8 babies is born too small and so small, they must fight to survive.

Band together and help us find the answers. Buy a March of Dimes virtual bracelet, the symbol of your commitment to the fight against prematurity.

On January 30, 2003, the fight against prematurity was officially launched at a press conference in Washington, D.C. The all-out effort to reduce prematurity will be waged on a number of fronts.

The March of Dimes two main goals for this campaign are to increase public awareness of the problems of prematurity to at least 60% and to decrease the rate of preterm birth in the U.S. by at least 15%.

Check our Prematurity web site for additional announcements.

Smallpox is a serious contagious disease marked by fever and a distinctive skin rash. It is caused by a virus and can be fatal. Vaccination can prevent the disease.

Children in the United States routinely received smallpox vaccinations until 1972. An unknown percentage of these individuals may still be protected from catching smallpox or from it its worst effects, but they cannot count on protection.

By 1980, the disease had been eliminated after a worldwide vaccination campaign. Some stocks of the smallpox virus remained in medical laboratories.

In the aftermath of the events of September and October 2001, the U.S. government is taking precautions to deal with a possible bioterrorist attack that would use smallpox as a weapon. As a result of these efforts, a national plan is in place to vaccinate people and contain a smallpox outbreak. The plan would first vaccinate people who come into contact with the virus in an emergency, such as military personnel and health care workers. The U.S. government does not recommend that everyone be vaccinated.

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