That’s been my question as well. I’ve done some searching, but the best I’ve come up with is basically the same thing found in one of Surreal’s links. “The vaccine can cause serious adverse reactions, including death. Serious reactions after the first dose of smallpox vaccine can include severe Vaccinia infection in the skin of people with eczema (less than one per 10,000 immunized), and an often fatal reaction known as vaccinia necrosum, death of the tissue around the injection site (less than 1 per 10,000 immunized). Inflammation of the brain (less than 1 per 10,000 immunized) is another serious reaction, and mainly affected children less than one year of age when the vaccine was administered to this group. Rates of these side effects after a second dose of smallpox vaccine are lower.”
Bolding mine. Lot’s of statistics, and then a small snippet regarding a booster. I’ll keep looking, though. I doubt I’d get a booster since I’m guessing the strain will be a weaponized version, but I’d still like a less vague answer to your question Eve.
Yeah, probably. Biological warfare–especially smallpox–scares the everliving stuffing out of me. I don’t particularly care about the risks; I’m just freakin’ scared.
I mean, after I watched 12 Monkeys, I couldn’t sleep…
Nope. Not unless it is demonstrated conclusively that there is smallpox in the hands of someone who might use it.
When it was brought to light that our stores of smallpox vaccine were not even remotely adquate to stop an outbreak, I was very nervous about it.
However, now that we have sufficient reserves of vaccine to surround and confine an outbreak, I feel safe enough. I’m not going to expose myself to the risk of side effects against the small chance that a) smallpox will break out somewhere and b) I would be one of the people exposed in that outbreak before it could be contained.
If the vaccine is given to the entire U.S. population, hundreds of people will die. It seems stupid to kill a hundred people because of a small chance that the bad guys have the virus, will be able to deploy it effectively.
My odds of getting hit by a bus are considerably greater than the odds of my contracting smallpox, so I think it’s a better investment of my brain power to take extra care in crossing the street than to lie awake at night worrying about this.
I know I had eczema as a kid - for that matter, I have it right now, in several glorious patches on arms and on leg
I also know I had a smallpox vaccination - the scar is still on my left upper arm.
So… obviously not everyone with eczema, or a history of eczema, is going to have some horrific reaction to the vaccine.
(And, by the way - the vaccine is pretty much the same as it’s been for a couple hundred years, ever since Jenner scraped some pus out of a cowpox pustule and used it to innoculate someone to prevent smallpox)
Seeing as I’m currently having a skin problem, probably not a good idea to plan on one in the near future. On the other hand, I’m “general public”, so won’t have the option until 2004 anyhow.
By the way - pretty much assume that after 10 years the vaccination needs a booster. You might retain some immunity, but it would be the difference between a severe case of smallpox vs a “mild” case, not a matter of actually preventing the disease.
Me, I favor the “inform the people and let them choose”. Given that there is no proof the virus is in the hands of Bad People, I think leaving it up to the individuals is the best course.
After hearing the description of how they administer the vaccine on NPR this morningdescription of how they administer the vaccine on NPR this morning:eek:…heck no. I’m needlephobic enough, I don’t need someone repeatedly jabbing me with a bifurcated hypodermic. That is the way panic lies.
I’m considered a “first responder” and also work in a hospital, so it looks like it’ll be mandatory for me too. Only thing is, I now have a touch of psoriasis (elbow) which may put me at risk for the vaccine.
Some years ago in Britain, when there was still a researcher working with the virus, a young woman working in the same building (not in the lab, or even on the same floor) was infected. She had never been vaccinated, and died from the disease.
Her parents, who had both been vaccinated many year before, took care of her when she first became ill, having no idea, of course, she had smallpox. Both parents also came down with the disease despite prior vaccinations. Her father, who was apparently in poor health, died. Her mother recovered. This has been documented in at least two of the recent books published about smallpox. I also recall reading about it at the time it happened. It was after that incident that world stocks were reduced to a collection of vials at the CDC in Atlanta and another collection in the USSR (supposedly) and much more stringent controls put on research with the virus.
Certainly, if you have something like HIV, or are taking drugs to prevent organ transplant rejection, that prior vaccination will do you little good, but there are a number of other conditions, or just plain frail health, that are going to stack the deck against you. That prior vaccination is better than nothing, but probably very very little better.
No because if there is a smart terrorist out there, he/she is gonna spread it before the general public is able to get it in 2004.
Actually, no I wont because if I am going to die, I will die. I am probably more likely to die slipping in my shower and breaking my head open and bleeding to death before someone found me than I am to die from small pox.
If terrorists were to spread a disease, they would probably look for something that most Americans aren’t looking out for. How stupid would we all feel if we didn’t get vaccinated against some other deadly disease?
If it’s to be, then so be it. I am going to go about my life and deal with the concequences of my no decision.
I’ve also got a history of eczema, and am dealing with a breakout right now - not severe, because I recognized it for what it was and went to the doc for a cream that’s taking care of it (or at least keeping it under control), but still there.
I never had was vaccinated - I was born in '73, so I was just a little late for it. I am not going to rush right out to get it though. I’m just not sure it’s a likely enough threat at this point in time. Yes, it’s a potential threat, but I am also not in what would be considered a first line of defense - I am not a health care worker, in the military or any other organization. So I’ll rely on the likelihood (realistic or not) that I’d be able to get the vaccination when necessary.
What I don’t understand about the question of people being vaccinated still being immune is that most sites I’ve gone to, including the CDC, say they don’t know if people are still protected or not. The vaccine was in use for decades before the disease was “eraticated”, wouldn’t there be at least some data about people having the vaccine getting the disease later? This shouldn’t be such a hard thing because while the diease was still occuring in nature people should have been completely immune or there be documented cases of people getting it after the vaccine wore off.
Anyway, like lovelyluka I’ll probably gage my own williness to get it on 2004 on how terrible the side effects are. If they’re not too terrible or common, I will probably get it, because I’ve never had it and I’d be screwed if it was used in bioterrorism.
If I had to decide ** right now! ** to get it or not, I’d pass. I’m 44, I was vaccinated as a child, I’ll take my chances. (Since vaccination mimics having the disease by giving one antibodies, and since actually * having * diseases for which one might otherwise be vaccinated confers permanent immunity, I’ll trust that vaccination will, too.)
On the other hand, I’m certainly going to pay attention to what is happening in the world. If middle aged americans start dropping like flies from smallpox, I’ll certainly take vaccination into consideration. I’ll also be paying attention to what is happening to people who are vaccinated.
Our hospital has to have a plan in place by January to start getting some people vaccinated, and there’s a pretty good chance that I’ll be in the first round.
I’m not too worried about it. Serious reactions are very rare, although 1/3 of people who get it are expected to get sick enough to miss work.
Actually, there ARE documented cases of people getting smallpox after they were vaccinated against it, some of them dating back a couple centuries. Which is why they know that the effectiveness DOES lessen over time, and that there isn’t a clear way to predict how much an specific individual loses over time.
Also - please be aware that the vaccination results in a disease - called “cowpox” - that you can actually pass to someone who is NOT vaccinated. Back when young tots were rountinely vaccinated parents, baby-sitters, relatives, and others frequently came into contact with recently vaccinated rug-rats, thereby re-exposing themselves to the vaccinia virus which would in many ways act as a mini-booster and keep those all-important antibodies surging through the bloodstream. But not only has no one been exposed to smallpox for decades, now cowpox has ALSO become exceedingly rare since we’re no longer giving it to people delibrately.
In other words, the last 30 years are unusual in human history, there being no smallpox at all in the “wild” and darn little cowpox.
The CDC is being cautious. Yes, many previously vaccinated folks may retain useful immunity. But they don’t KNOW that, and they don’t know WHO among all the billions of people currently alive has the best antibodies.
Amen to all that. You might also have mentioned that this is just more of the hysteria deliberately being whipped up to generate support for the so-called “war on terrorism” and the war to grab the Iraqi oil fields. Anyone who goes and gets vaccinated for a virtually non-existant threat is a dupe.
