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Smallpox: Smallpox Vaccine
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Smallpox is a serious, contagious and sometimes fatal infectious disease for whichthere is no specific treatment, and the only prevention is vaccination. Although there is no reason to believe that smallpox presents an imminent threat, the attacks of September and October 2001 have heightened concern that terrorists may have access to the virus and attempt to use it against the American public. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has expanded the national stockpile of smallpox vaccine to strengthenpreparedness for bioterror attacks. As a result, the United States currently has sufficient quantities of the vaccine to vaccinate every single person in the country in an emergency.
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Smallpox vaccination is associated with some risk for adverse reactions; the two most serious are postvaccinal encephalitis and progressive vaccinia. Postvaccinal encephalitis occurs at a rate of 3 per million primary vaccinees; 40% of the cases are fatal, and some patients are left with permanent neurologic damage. Progressive vaccinia occurs among those who are immunosuppressed because of a congenital defect, malignancy, radiation therapy, or AIDS. The vaccinia virus simply continues to grow, and unless these patients are treated with vaccinia immune globulin, they may not recover. Pustular material from the vaccination site may ... be transferred to other parts of the body, sometimes with serious results.
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Smallpox was once found throughout the world, causing illness and death wherever it occurred. Smallpox was primarily a disease of children and young adults, with family members often infecting each other. However, a massive program by the World Health Organization (WHO) eradicated all known smallpox viruses from the world in 1977, except for samples that were saved by various governments for research purposes. The vaccine was discontinued in the United States in 1972. In 1980, WHO recommended that all countries stop vaccinating for smallpox.
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Smallpox vaccine is highly protective, even when used shortly after an exposure. The vaccine contains live vaccinia virus. It does not contain smallpox virus and cannot transmit the disease of smallpox. It is applied by scratching the skin of the lateral or posterior shoulder area and introducing a drop of vaccine. The reaction, or "take," of the vaccine will occur over time and will vary according to the patient's sensitivity. The reactions are classified as follows:
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Smallpox, derived from the Latin word meaning "spotted," is a serious and often deadly infectious disease caused by a form of the variola virus, an ancient virus that has caused epidemics for thousands of years. Due to the development of a vaccine, smallpox was eradicated following a successful worldwide vaccination program. The last recorded case of smallpox in the United States was in 1949.
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Smallpox vaccines were discontinued in the United States in 1972, and the disease was considered eradicated by 1980. However, the threat of bioterrorism has brought renewed concern about an outbreak of the disease and consideration by government officials for possible mass vaccination efforts.
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Smallpox Vaccine