Smallpox Vaccinations

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Do any of our more seasoned veterans have any recollections of administering smallpox vaccinations in the pre 2000 era?

Specializes in Oncology.

Was this vaccine considered especially painful with the 15 pokes and the special needle? Cause it looks it!

Very interesting that you can't use alcohol to clean the site! I would dream of giving a vaccine without an alcohol scrub first now!

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Was this vaccine considered especially painful with the 15 pokes and the special needle? Cause it looks it!

Very interesting that you can't use alcohol to clean the site! I would dream of giving a vaccine without an alcohol scrub first now!

I just remember it being uncomfortable. Misery loves company and the whole class was miserable.

In all honesty, the world is to concerned about the small stuff. Elementary school kids aren't exactly crawling with bacteria Back then it was the norm to have a bath on Sunday night and a sponge bath during the week

We were pretty healthy n general

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Specializes in Urgent Care.

Other than my Army buddies I am about the only person I know with two of these scars. We received smallpox vaccinations during induction to the army in the 1980's and were in the age group that had received them in school. I was in an infantry rapid deployment force unit and we had to be vaccinated to travel anywhere in the world with no notice. We tried to talk them out of it as in our age group at the time we all had the scar on our arm as 'proof' we had been vaccinated. We were told that the vaccines we had received 17-24yrs ago were not completely effective and everyone would need it again.

Although we received several vaccines with the jet device show above the Smallpox was done with by hand with a bifurcated needle. And yes, I remember vastly different reactions in individuals. One guy wound up in the hospital with small pox in his eyes, they showed us pictures of him, from scratching at the scab and then touching his eyes.

You may find more info on ppl who have given this vaccine recently in the military nursing forums. The last naturally occurring case was in 1977, but I believe soldiers still get the vaccine out of concern that small pox may be used for biological warfare.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Smallpox vaccine protection was found to only last only 5-7 years necessitating re-vaccination if exposure/potential exposure after that time.

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The smallpox vaccination was more than just 15 (in my remembrance, painful, deep) pricks, it was a month long event. For an eye opening representation of the remainder of the process see 'My SmallPox Vaccine Journey' on YouTube. Talk about miserable!

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