[Dog Gone]

I've been vaccinated for smallpox before and I didn't die, so I'll be happy to be vaccinated again. I'd take the anthrax vaccine, too, if I could get it.

Does anybody know why the smallpox vaccine HAS to be administered the way it is? As I recall from my childhood, it was not by syringe, but by a round disk with two bigger needles and a few smaller ones. And it leaves a scar, of course.

What's the deal with that?

[Judith Anne]

Actually you had to be infected with the live virus to get immunity...I think, but I'm not positive, that cowpox (a virus similar enough to smallpox to stimulate the immune system) was used in most of the smallpox vaccines we oldies got.

The pox vaccine actually had to be put in under the skin, and several punctures were made in order to be sure. Then, if the vaccine "took" (this is all by memory, now, so if someone else has better information, please correct me!)an actual pox developed. When you recovered from that, you were immune to smallpox.

Milkmaids, in olden days, were reckoned to be beautiful because they had unscarred faces--they never developed smallpox which was EVERYWHERE because they had mostly had cowpox...

Remember how sore that vaccination spot was? Imagine it all over your body....that's smallpox....

[harpseal]

The best place for a smallpox vacination is in the live skin tissue. Current pracrice is 6 to 8 strokes with a bifurcated needle that has been dipped in the vacine in order to placethe infection at the ideal site. A tiny blood stain on the needle is considered a-ok but bleeding is not desirable but will probably have no effect on the vacination's effectiveness. I note that antiseptic is not used in preparation of the vacination site as it may kill the virus in the vacine.

All of the above is available from the CDC.

Stay well - Stay safe - stay armed - Yorktown

[Nita Nupress]

Here's what vaccination with the bifurcated needle looks like:
http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v281n22/fig_tab/jst90000_f3.html

Here's what the 14-day progression of the pustule looks like:
http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v281n22/fig_tab/jst90000_f4.html