Are You Going to Get Your Smallpox Shot?

[Lost Cause]

Anyone born after 1972 is completely vunerable to get it and die. People older than that got smallpox vaccines when they were kids, and should have some residual protection. All a radical group has to do is infect 12 martyrs, wait until they become contagious, and put them on commercial airplanes to the major continents/capitals in the world.
The US government has approved total innoculation of the population. There is a risk that a small percentage could die from the shot, just because all humans are not alike. Will you get it? Why would you, or won't you get it? How about your families?

Here's some info from the CDC:

Smallpox Overview
Smallpox is a serious, contagious, and sometimes fatal infectious disease. There is no specific treatment for smallpox disease, and the only prevention is vaccination. Smallpox outbreaks have occurred from time to time for thousands of years, but the disease is now eradicated after a successful worldwide vaccination program. The last case of smallpox in the United States was in 1949. The last naturally occurring case in the world was in Somalia in 1977.


Smallpox Vaccine Overview
The smallpox vaccine helps the body develop immunity to smallpox. Currently, the United States has a big enough stockpile of smallpox vaccine to vaccinate everyone who might need it in the event of an emergency. Production of new vaccine is underway.

People Who Should NOT Get the Smallpox Vaccine (Contraindications)
Because of health risks, the vaccine is not recommended for everyone. People who should not be vaccinated include pregnant women, people with immune systems problems (due to diseases like AIDS or treatments like chemotherapy), people with certain skin conditions, and people living with someone less than a year old.

Reactions after Smallpox Vaccination (Side Effects)
For most people, the smallpox vaccine is safe and effective. Most people experience normal, typically mild reactions to the vaccine, which indicate that it is beginning to work. Some people may experience reactions that may require medical attention.


Live Virus Vaccines and Vaccinia
The vaccinia virus is the "live virus" used in the smallpox vaccine. It is a "pox"-type virus related to smallpox. When given to humans as a vaccine, it helps the body to develop immunity to smallpox. The smallpox vaccine does not contain the smallpox virus and it cannot cause smallpox.

CDC's Smallpox Preparation and Response Activities
CDC is working with others to protect the American public in case smallpox is used as a bioterrorism weapon. These efforts include preparing health workers and developing plans for responding to outbreaks.

Caring for the Smallpox Vaccination Site
Care must be taken after receiving the vaccination. A scab will form in the spot where the vaccination was given. This scab should be left alone so that the vaccinia virus in the vaccine doesn't spread to other parts of the body.


*Can people outside the US get smallpox shots on demand from their systems?

 

[Spinaroonie]

Unreasonable fear.


More mass media Fear mongering.

 

[Purrde Flower]

Just courious.. but.. is the small pox vaccine they give kids now not effective or something?

 

[Todd-'o'-Vision]

I am not getting a shot nor will i get a shot until there is an epidemic.

my version of an epidemic is multiple countries each with 100 or more victims at the same time.

not like the anthrax {i do express my sympathy to those with lossed love ones from anthrax} media epidemic that effected what was the total number40-50 people?

i don't let the government put anything into me that is not an absolute necessity, flu shots to me are not even a necessity.

after finding out what the governemnt candaian/amercian put in our boys, confirmed ingrediants, in the gulf war, be a cold day in hell when i willingly let them put anshit in my system that i don't need.

 

[Spinaroonie]

Weren't there only two samples left... and we destroyed one and know where the other is?

 

[Lost Cause]

Hype, or real time Darwinism?

It could spread worldwide in 30 days, people on the airplane, the terminal, the crowds, the buses, the malls, grocery stores, hospitals, and the control infrastructure. I don't think the governemnt would innoculate it's entire military if it was hype, or not a valid concern.

More info via CDC:

What should I know about smallpox?
Smallpox is an acute, contagious, and sometimes fatal disease caused by the variola virus (an orthopoxvirus), and marked by fever and a distinctive progressive skin rash. In 1980, the disease was declared eradicated following worldwide vaccination programs. However, in the aftermath of the events of September and October, 2001, the U.S. government is taking precautions to be ready to deal with a bioterrorist attack using smallpox as a weapon. As a result of these efforts: 1) There is a detailed nationwide smallpox response plan designed to quickly vaccinate people and contain a smallpox outbreak and 2) There is enough smallpox vaccine to vaccinate everyone who would need it in the event of an emergency.

How serious is the smallpox threat?
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.

How dangerous is the smallpox threat?
Smallpox is classified as a Category A agent by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Category A agents are believed to 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 necessary. Other Category A agents are anthrax, plague, botulism, tularemia, and viral hemorrhagic fevers.



What are the symptoms of smallpox?
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 that crust, scab, and fall off after about three weeks, leaving a pitted scar.

If someone comes in contact with smallpox, how long does it take to show symptoms?
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.

Is smallpox fatal?
The majority of patients with smallpox recover, but death may occur in up to 30% of cases. Many smallpox survivors have permanent scars over large areas of their body, especially their face. Some are left blind.

How is smallpox spread?
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 spread is less 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.

If smallpox is released in aerosol form, how long does the virus survive?
The smallpox virus is fragile. In laboratory experiments, 90% of aerosolized smallpox virus dies within 24 hours; in the presence of ultraviolet (UV) light, this percentage would be even greater. If an aerosol release of smallpox occurs, 90% of virus matter will be inactivated or dissipated in about 24 hours.

How many people would have to get smallpox before it is considered an outbreak?

One confirmed case of smallpox is considered a public health emergency.

Is smallpox contagious before the smallpox symptoms show?
A person with smallpox is sometimes contagious with onset of fever (prodrome phase), but the person becomes most contagious with the onset of rash. The infected person is contagious until the last smallpox scab falls off.

Is there any treatment for smallpox?
Smallpox can be prevented through use of the smallpox vaccine. There is no proven treatment for smallpox, but research to evaluate new antiviral agents is ongoing.

What is the smallpox vaccine, and is it still required?
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 1972 after the disease was eradicated in the United States. Until recently, the U.S. government provided the smallpox vaccine only to a few hundred scientists and medical professionals who work with smallpox and similar viruses in a research setting. After the events of September and October, 2001, however, the U.S. government took further actions to improve its 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.


www.cdc.bt.com

 

[Calamity Jane]

Just courious.. but.. is the small pox vaccine they give kids now not effective or something?

Kids don't get smallpox vaccines now. We 'eradicated' smallpox in the 80's (?) and there's been no need to vaccinate.

No, I won't get a vaccine unless and until there's a confirmed case somewhere that it might affect me. I think it chouls be handled the way it was handled in NYC when there was an outbreak there. Isolate the victim, vaccinate as many people as possible, and wait and see.

People who were vaccinated years ago will probably need to be vaccinated again. We don't know how long the vaccination lasts. We don't even know if it gives everyone an immunity. (I've been vaccinated for measles more times than I can count, and I'm not immune)

There's no reason to run out and demand a vaccine at this point, and even if there was you'd be out of luck. There isn't currently enough vaccine to innoculate the population anyway.

 

[Spinaroonie]

Weren't there only two samples left... and we destroyed one and know where the other is?

Good point.

 

[Calamity Jane]

Good point.

*giggle*

and if you tell anyone i did that, you'll be sorry!

 

[Sillyman]

No, I'm going to die.

 

[soileddove]

Damn

They would stop the vaccinations the year I was born. I am always two steps behind.

 

[Ice Cold]

I'm in the clear!!!

 

[Aquila]

They still vaccinate people who get the big spray gun slammed into their arm "I.E. Military and Emergency workers"

For fucks sake Im vaccinated for shit that doesnt even exist on this side of the globe.

 

[Guest]

No, I'm going to die.

horribly and painfully all covered in pustules and pus......

(just thought I'd add a bit of colour)

 

[Oliver Clozoff]

Weren't there only two samples left... and we destroyed one and know where the other is?

Actually, after smallpox was eradicated from the natural world (along with polio one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of medicine and public health), there were only two known remaining samples of smallpox, one at the CDC in Atlanta keep in its level 5 basement lab under double negative pressure (the same maximum security lab were Marburg and Ebola are kept). The other was at one of the Soviet bioweapons labs. Both sides claimed they only kept the samples for future use to produce vaccine in case the other used smallpox as a bioweapon

When the USSR disintegrated and was no longer able to pay its bioweapons scientists, it was thought that some of them profited by selling smallpox samples to interested parties who wanted first rate biological weapons.

Unreasonable fear.


More mass media Fear mongering.

Is it? It's not the mass media who's making these
recommendations.

When making a decision like this to use a live vaccine public health authorities have to weigh the potential harm of the disease in question and the risk to individuals in the public of contracting the disease against the potential harm to those who are innoculated and the cost to society.

First, the only people who would be harmed by a live smallpox vaccine are the immunocompromised, like those with congenital immune defects and those with acquired immune diseases (like advanced HIV and AIDS). People with those diseases would certainly be exempted.

Second, most people in the west have forgotten what a horrible disease smallpox is because we haven't seen it here in the Western hemisphere in about 30 years. It no longer exists except in labs and we've forgotten the horrible desquamation and ecchymosis. Then there's the mortality rate - it's 30%. We have better antivirals now than we did then, but who knows if they'll do any good? This mortality isn't as high as AIDS, but it's an airborne disease - it could potentially spread through a community pretty quick and the progression of the disease is quick with terrible suffering.

Third, I think the risk of a smallpox attack is greater than you believe. Two years ago, someone suggesting all skyscrapers should be redesigned and reinforced would have been considered alarmist and "fear-mongering".

I work in health care in a major urban center that could easily be the target of a biological terrorist attack, so when I get the opportunity to be vaccinated I will.

 

[teddybear4play]

I won't.

Now that we've announced the fact that we have enough vaccine to make a smallpox attack worthless, the terrorists will probably strike another way.

I won't chance the odds, even if they are astronomical.

TB4p

 

[Silverlily]

For fucks sake Im vaccinated for shit that doesnt even exist on this side of the globe.

I'm not sure the Air Force even knew what they were vacinating us against.


But, yes, if I weren't already immune, I would get the shot.

 

[Shadowann2]

I'm not going to get it and neither are my kids at this point. Right now I don't think the risk of the vaccination is worth it. If things change, and there are confirmed cases of smallpox within the states around me, then I will reevaluate my decision. Until then I see no point in risking my health or the health of my children.

Despite the fact that it is the government that made the initial issue out of this subject, I think the media has hyped it up more than is nessessary.

There were two conflicting comments made above. One person said there was enough of the vaccine and another said there wasn't. So which is it?

 

[Guest]

 

[patient1]

I was vaccinated as a 6year old, and again before a mid-eastern trip in '74.

I expect to live, regardless.

I tend to be a believe that the best strategy for disease control is Prepare & Overreact Quickly.

Since humans are uncooperative in these matters, I advocate vaccination programs.

 

[Vinny]

When I entered service way back I had to have it even though I had it as a child. Now I have to have it again. No big deal. My question however is sonce they stopped the shots back in the early 80's for the military how could one get one in 1994?

 

[Dantetier]

People don't seem to realize that this isn't the same natural Smallpox that existed before. This has been Bioengineered and is much more dangerous and fatal that the old kind. The vaccines that all you oldsters got would most likely not be effective against the new and improved Smallpox

 

[La Huesera]

Anyone born after 1972 is completely vunerable to get it and die. People older than that got smallpox vaccines when they were kids, and should have some residual protection. All a radical group has to do is infect 12 martyrs, wait until they become contagious, and put them on commercial airplanes to the major continents/capitals in the world.
The US government has approved total innoculation of the population. There is a risk that a small percentage could die from the shot, just because all humans are not alike. Will you get it? Why would you, or won't you get it? How about your families?




Lost Cause... Just so you know, some people born before 1972 were NOT given the smallpox vaccine. I was born in January of 1970 and was not. I received the all other vaccines, but not SP.

 

[CoolidgEffect]

Weren't there only two samples left... and we destroyed one and know where the other is?

Who told you that? The evil scientists?

 

[fgarvb1]

In a free and modern society such as ours by the time small pox is discovered to be lose here in the usa, you are not going to have time to get any vaccine soon enough to do you any good.


That as someone pointed out is as with the old form of small pox.

You have use new and improved products all your life.

Think about it, 30% may well be wishful thinking.