And I thought the smallpox concern was put to rest years ago.

My lovely bride wishes I had been given the "smallcox" vaccine

[rolleyes]

I had heard about this a few months ago when the stockpile of vaccine was low and they were talking about diluting it if necessary.

IRL I play a microbiologist, and I think the concern over allergic reaction/etc to the vaccine is probably overrated. The real issue is 'how credible is the smallpox threat'?
If you believe it is very credible and an attack is imminent, the concern over vaccine reactions should be minor to non-existant.

OTOH if you believe the threat is unlikely, there's certainly no reason to get a vaccination and take even the low risk of a reaction against the drug.

Anyway I would imagine that most of the members of this board over 32 have already had at least one childhood exposure to the vaccine and they're still around to talk about it, so...

If you thought people were nervous with the anthrax attacks last year, *nobody* wants to see what would happen if a potentially fatal, highly contagious (unlike anthrax), permanently disfiguring agent gets used against us. Umm..where's the vaccination line again?

Sweep;

I'm not a Health Care worker, but I don't believe that the vaccination is anything to be concerned about. Up until 20 years ago, every school child had to have the vaccination in order to go/remain in school. Just about everyone over 30 years of age has had the vaccination. It was about 15-20 years ago that they deemed the disease eradicated and ceased the immunization program, although I think they still immunize you if you join the military.

With that many people being immunized, I'm sure that there were a few instances of 'hyper-sensitivity' that caused injury/death, but from what I remember, the incidence was extremely low. I believe it was even lower than the incidence of getting polio from the polio vaccine (when they used the live virus), or Diphtheria, tetanus or pertussis from getting a DPT shot.

My guess is that you have more chances of getting smallpox from a terrorist than from the vaccine itself.

As for the smallpox concern being put to rest years ago, yes it was...but times obviously have changed. There were only 2 know sources for Smallpox...the CDC and the old USSR. With the unknown source of the recent anthrax attacks, it would seem that either of these sources could (or have) be(en) compromised.

I guess it comes down to odds and what you believe.

If you think that she/you may come in contact with the virus...get the vaccine and take your 1-in-1,000,000 chance that you/she has a reaction to the vaccine.

But remember, if you/she do come in contact with the virus, it is HIGHLY contagious and if the disease is contracted, there is a 30% fatality rate.

My guess is that the vaccination will be mandatory if your wife is one of the health care professionals that they deem vulnerable, although I suspect they will concentrate on emergency room personnel, EMS service, fire/police types, at least to start. Nothing could be worse than for one of these people to get the disease and pass it on to hundreds/thousands of others before they are diagnosed and become disabled.

Neil is definitely correct in his assessment.  The hypersensitivety reactions are rare. The live virus polio vaccine has a higher reaction rate approximately 1/300000 actually getting disease.  With the newer methods of using MRC-5 the real concern is that people will refuse the vaccine because the vaccine was produced using fetal cell lines.  As far as infectious diseases go, its relatively benign compared to say ebola.  There is a 30% mortality rate, but those that are infected and survive will be immune from further attacks.  Remember terrorists will use what is available and easy to use.  Biological weapons are difficult to produce and store and deploy.  I would be more worried about a nerve agent or other chemical attack.

What a crock of shit.

The vaccine is safe;  there was less than one death per MILLION vaccinations when it was being given in the 1960's/1970's.  That translates to approximately 285 deaths today if every individual in the U.S. gets vaccinated -- if the death rate were the same as back then.  (It would probably be lower, since we have significantly better life-support technology today.)

Meanwhile, even a small outbreak will probably claim several thousand lives.  The way the bureaucrats justify this is that the likelihood of a smallpox attack is small:
(tiny risk) * (thousands of deaths) << (200 deaths if mass vaccination were done)

But what pisses me off is that they refuse to allow people to decide for themselves.

I'd gladly get vaccinated, because over time, the risks add up.  I was vaccinated in the 1970's and had no problems, so I'm not going to be one of the 200-ish deaths this time around.

Be glad she's going to get vaccinated, and tell the fearmongers to fuck off.

Here is something that I dug up in the L.A. Times 7/7/02
====================================================
[url]http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-smallpox7jul07.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dnation
[/url]
"In the 1960s, when the vaccine was in use, the health profile of Americans was
in some ways more resistant than it is today.

"We had very few people with immune deficiency disease," said Henderson. "And we
now have many more people who are undergoing aggressive cancer therapy, or who
have had organ transplants, which are also significant risk factors for this
vaccine." [b]The estimates of 300 deaths in a nationwide immunization campaign rely
on data from the 1960s.[/b]"

I'm a Registered Medical Technologist at a major hospital in Tulsa and I can assure my wife (shes a Med Tech too) will be getting these at the first availablity.

i have my scar from my kiddie vaccination, but the long term benefits wore off a long, long time ago.

with my Iodate tabs and my smallpox vaccine..
i'm ready babyyyyyyyyy

rally round the family with a pocket full O  SHELLS...

I wouldnt feel so smug that you wouldnt have a reaction because you didnt have one before. Reactions rarely occur with a first exposure.
I would not think a phlebotomist would be one of the first to get a vaccine.  Probably ER staff and paramedics would get first doses.  I work at the main trauma center in Los Angeles and there has been no discussion about any vaccinations yet.

I have to agree with Atencio. i work in an ER at a trauma center in n.e. NJ. We haven`t heard about mandatory vaccinations for either small pox or Anthrax. Informed opinion(at my job)is that it`s only matter of time, at least for first responders and Er personel.
Remember, US and allied personel found labs and plans for WMD during the opening phases of Enduring Freedom.

There is some debate going on about plans to vaccinate in some areas to create "rings of resistance", and whether that's viable as opposed to nationwide mass innoculations (The idea being to contain any outbreaks).

To me that sounds like total bullshit.  Frankly I don't trust any information coming out of public health officials anymore.

Think about it:   Any place where mass outbreaks are a risk is a major metropolitan center.

Any metropolitan center is a place with major air hubs, lots of travelers coming and going to and from other countries.

Also going to and from other major centers.

Also to and from not-so-large population centers which would not be getting innoculated.

The only possible effect of these targeted 'rings' of population vaccination would be to slow down the inevitable spread of the outbreak.

In my opinion, smallpox would be in Fargo before you knew what was happening.  

We need to ALL get vaccinated as soon as they can make enough of it.

And may I suggest that people who are firearms proficient get first shot at it?

I to will take another Vaccine I had it has a kid. I would hope they woud also give it to the Family of the worker also. How could you give it to the worker but not his family.

actually Phlebe's are usually one of the first ones involved in direct contact with a patient if not in ER, then on one of the patient floors.


very high risk of TB and other diseases transmissions due to that fact.

remember...
a laboratory and its personnel are one of the most critical areas in a hospital, especially when a problematic incident like numerous patients with BIOHAZARDOUS- highly infectious diseases start walking in off the street.

i am a member of the trauma and high risk response teams and our training is starting to GET REAL..

the last year we have gotten really serious.