The smallpox vaccine protects people from smallpox by helping their bodies develop immunity to smallpox. The vaccine is made from a virus called vaccinia , which is a poxvirus similar to smallpox, but less harmful. The smallpox vaccine contains live vaccinia virus, not a killed or weakened virus like many other vaccines. For that reason, people who are vaccinated must take precautions when caring for the place on their arm where they were vaccinated, so they can prevent the vaccinia virus from spreading.
For most people with healthy immune systems, live virus vaccines are effective and safe. Sometimes a person getting a live virus vaccine experiences mild symptoms such as rash, fever, and head and body aches.
In certain groups of people, complications from the vaccinia virus can be severe. This is a raised scar that grows in response to skin injury. They are known to form on the shoulder and can cause a raised, spread scar that looks like something has spilled on the skin and hardened.
They do know those with a family history of keloids ages 10 to 30 , and those of African, Asian, or Hispanic descent are more likely to have keloids, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. During the height of smallpox concerns, having a visible smallpox vaccine scar was a beneficial sign because health officials could assume a person was vaccinated against the virus.
Despite scar formation, the vaccine is known for causing fewer adverse reactions when given on the arm, compared to the buttocks or other areas. In addition to known scarring from the smallpox vaccine, there is another vaccine that causes a similar scar. This vaccine is used to protect people against human tuberculosis. Both vaccine types can leave upper arm scars. Often, a person can tell the difference between the smallpox vaccine and BCG scars by taking into account the following considerations:.
The treatments for a smallpox scar are similar to those for scarring in general. If your smallpox scar developed into a keloid, you can apply silicone sheets like a bandage or gel to the keloid. Of the more than 37, civilian workers who received the smallpox vaccine in , an estimated 21 post-vaccination scars occurred, according to the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Of those experiencing scarring, the average time to noticing the scar was 64 days. While smallpox scars may still exist, a person must evaluate whether their scar requires treatment to reduce its appearance. Most scars are removed or revised for cosmetic appearances, not health concerns.
The shingles vaccine is recommended for people ages 50 and older, as older adults are more likely to develop shingles. Learn about the side effects of…. 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. This is a normal reaction to scabbing. As the injury at the injection site heals, the scab falls off and leaves behind an area of skin that looks like a pockmark.
Typically, a person received the smallpox vaccination in the upper part of their left arm, though doctors sometimes administered these vaccines in other areas, such as the buttocks. While most people received smallpox vaccinations without any problems, complications sometimes occurred. However, no one has been infected with smallpox from the vaccine because the vaccine contains a different virus. Unlike some other vaccines, the smallpox vaccine contains a live virus.
This means that people who receive the vaccine need to take extra care of their injection sites to avoid spreading the virus. In certain groups of people, complications from the vaccinia virus can be severe. The smallpox vaccine is the best protection you can get if you are exposed to the smallpox virus.
Anyone directly exposed to smallpox, regardless of health status, would be offered the smallpox vaccine because the risks associated with smallpox disease are far greater than those posed by the vaccine. Even though there has been no smallpox cases in the world since , because of the potential that smallpox may be used in bioterrorism, people who would be likely to respond to a case of smallpox are being offered the opportunity to get vaccinated.
Vaccination will take place in stages, with public health and hospital response teams being vaccinated first. There are side effects and risks associated with the smallpox vaccine. Most people experience normal, usually mild reactions that include a sore arm, fever, and body aches. However, other people experience reactions ranging from serious to life-threatening.
People most likely to have serious side effects are: people who have had, even once, skin conditions especially eczema or atopic dermatitis and people with weakened immune systems, such as those who have received a transplant, are HIV positive, are receiving treatment for cancer, or are currently taking medications like steroids that suppress the immune system.
In addition, pregnant women should not get the vaccine because of the risk it poses to the fetus. Women who are breastfeeding should not get the vaccine. And people under 18 years of age and those allergic to the vaccine or any of its components should not receive the vaccine. Careful monitoring of smallpox vaccinations given over recent months has suggested that the vaccine may have caused side effects on the heart.
Experts are exploring this more in depth. As a precaution, if you have been diagnosed by a doctor as having a heart condition with or without symptoms you should NOT get the smallpox vaccine at this time.
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