When was smallpox vaccine discontinued

The infection left many people who survived smallpox with permanent scarring, frequently on their faces. Smallpox is an infection of the variola virus. Scientists developed a smallpox vaccine using a live variation of a virus called vaccinia. Vaccinia does not cause smallpox, but it is very similar to the variola virus that does. The vaccination was so effective that in the early s, scientists declared that smallpox had been eradicated. In , doctors discontinued smallpox vaccinations in the United States, except among people at risk of exposure to the infection — in a lab, for example.

The smallpox vaccine left behind a scar at the injection site. Keep reading for more information about the smallpox vaccine scar. The scar may be round or oblong, and it may appear deeper than the surrounding skin. Usually, the scar is smaller than the diameter of a pencil eraser, though it can be larger. In some people, smallpox vaccination scars are itchy or uncomfortable.

A scar forms in response to an injury, such as the puncture involved in smallpox vaccination. As the body repairs the damage, it forms scar tissue. In most people, this scar tissue is small. However, some people experience an inflammatory response to the injection of the vaccine, which can lead to a larger, raised scar. A smallpox vaccination scar occurs because the vaccination causes an injury at the injection site.

Other vaccinations typically involve injecting fluid with thin needles. However, smallpox vaccination requires a different method of injection. It is this reaction that leads to the scarring. As the body fights the infection, a scab begins to form. The scab may ooze and feel itchy and tight. The deliberate release of smallpox as an epidemic disease is now regarded as a possibility, and the United States is taking precautions to deal with this possibility.

Category A agents are those that pose the greatest potential threat for adverse public health impact and have a moderate to high potential for large-scale dissemination. The public is generally more aware of category A agents, and broad-based public health preparedness efforts are underway.

Other Category A agents are anthrax, plague, botulism, tularemia, and viral hemorrhagic fevers. At the moment, the smallpox vaccine is not available for members of the general public.

In the event of a smallpox outbreak, however, there is enough smallpox vaccine to vaccinate everyone who would need it. The symptoms of smallpox begin with high fever, head and body aches, and sometimes vomiting. A rash follows that spreads and progresses to raised bumps and pus-filled blisters that crust, scab, and fall off after about three weeks, leaving a pitted scar. After exposure, it takes between 7 and 17 days for symptoms of smallpox to appear average incubation time is 12 to 14 days.

During this time, the infected person feels fine and is not contagious. Smallpox normally spreads from contact with infected persons. Generally, direct and fairly prolonged face-to-face contact is required to spread smallpox from one person to another.

Smallpox also can be spread through direct contact with infected bodily fluids or contaminated objects such as bedding or clothing. Indirect contact is not common.

Rarely, smallpox has been spread by virus carried in the air in enclosed settings such as buildings, buses, and trains. Smallpox is not known to be transmitted by insects or animals. A person with smallpox is sometimes contagious with onset of fever prodrome phase , but the person becomes most contagious with the onset of rash.

Patients remain infectious until the last scab falls off. Smallpox can be prevented through use of the smallpox vaccine, even if the vaccine is given within three days after exposure to smallpox.

There is no proven treatment for smallpox, but research to evaluate new antiviral agents is ongoing. Preliminary results with the drug, cidofovir suggest it may be useful. The use of cidofovir to treat smallpox or smallpox vaccine reactions should be evaluated and monitored by experts at NIH and CDC.

Patients with smallpox can benefit from supportive therapy e. The smallpox vaccine is the only way to prevent smallpox. The vaccine is made from a virus called vaccinia, which is another pox-type virus related to smallpox. The vaccine helps the body develop immunity to smallpox. It was successfully used to eradicate smallpox from the human population. Routine vaccination of the American public against smallpox stopped in after the disease was eradicated in the United States.

Until recently, the U. After the events of September and October, , however, we have taken extensive actions to improve our level of preparedness against terrorism. For smallpox, this included updating a response plan and ordering enough smallpox vaccine to immunize the American public in the event of a smallpox outbreak. The plans are in place, and there is sufficient vaccine available to immunize everyone who might need it in the event of an emergency.

The smallpox vaccine is not available to the general public at this time. If vaccination is considered advisable, you will be notified quickly. The smallpox vaccine is not given with a hypodermic needle. It is not a shot, like many vaccinations. The vaccine is given using a bifurcated two-pronged needle that is dipped into the vaccine solution.

When removed, the needle retains a droplet of the vaccine. The needle is then used to prick the skin 15 times in a few seconds. The pricking is not deep, but it will cause a sore spot and one or two drops of blood to form. The vaccine usually is given in the upper arm. If the vaccination is successful, a red and itchy bump develops at the vaccination site in three or four days.

In the first week after vaccination, the bump becomes a large blister, fills with pus, and begins to drain. During week two, the blister begins to dry up and a scab forms. The scab falls off in the third week, leaving a small scar.

People who are being vaccinated for the first time have a stronger reaction than those who are being revaccinated. Vaccine Basics. Minus Related Pages. The vaccine does not contain the smallpox virus and cannot give you smallpox. Other live virus vaccines currently used include measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox. Related Resources. Information for Vaccinators.

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