Smallpox vaccinations have been discontinued for a very long time. My last polio vaccination was via the oral vaccine on a sugar cube in 1961. It was part of the lot contaminated with Simian virus. Rabies vaccinations are rarely offered before an individual has actually been bitten. I had rubella in 1963. It wasn't pleasant at age 8, but not a disaster either. I had chicken pox at age 28. A little "gift" from folks at church. That was a miserable 2 weeks. All 3 of my sons caught it too. My wife was still immune after her case as a child.
Most of the vaccinations for childhood diseases have been successful and safe. The recent advent of vaccinations for hepatitis B didn't make sense for children. It does make sense for an emergency services worker who might perform mouth to mouth CPR without any isolation equipment. Other than that, the principal persons at risk are IV drug users, prostitutes and promiscuous gays.
>Most of the vaccinations for childhood diseases have been successful and safe. The recent advent of vaccinations for hepatitis B didn’t make sense for children. It does make sense for an emergency services worker who might perform mouth to mouth CPR without any isolation equipment. Other than that, the principal persons at risk are IV drug users, prostitutes and promiscuous gays.<
I’m not advocating childhood Hep B vaccination, But I see about a dozen people a year with needle sticks who do not work in the medical field. Usually they are cleaning people or garbage men that are stuck by improperly disposed of needles. In these cases we blow through about $1200 of HBIG and start them on the Hep B vaccination. Works well for those who report the stick but I’m sure there are many that don’t report it.
Hep B is kind of scary, it is very persistent in the environment and easy to catch. About 20 years ago there was a medical student doing the sharp dull examination with a safety pin and managed to infect several patients with Hep B.
I’ve had the Hep B vaccinations which probably makes me feel more comfortable with giving it to my children. However,I would be in favor in court mandated vaccination for adults known to be at high risk rather than sticking all the kids. Hep B is a very expensive disease to treat and frequently, the population at most risk are the least able to pay for the treatment.