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medical information only and is not intended
to provide medical advice for individual people.
For personal health problems, you should seek
advice from your health care professional.
AE Mica, RN, BA answered
your questions about smallpox.
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Netti asks:
Considering that the vaccination is a live virus, shouldn't the person
being vaccinated be quarantined too?
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AE Mica responds:
The vaccine used to protect against smallpox does contain live virus,
but there is no need to quarantine a 'vaccinee'. The virus is located
at the site of the innoculation. The vaccinated person cannot spread
the virus through the air. The virus could be spread by touching the
vaccination site and then touching the mouth, eyes, or non-intact skin
(skin with breaks such as cuts or eczema).
The healthy person who receives
the vaccination is instructed on how to protect himself and the people
around him. The vaccinee is taught to keep a bandage over the site
of the vaccination and to wear clothing with sleeves which cover
the site until it is healed. He is taught
to wash his hands carefully every
time he changes the bandage and the proper way to dispose of the
bandages. The vaccinee is even told how
to wash his clothing and personal linens.
The person receiving a smallpox vaccination who washes his hands
and
keeps the vaccination site covered does not present a risk to the
people around him. |
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Clara asks:
Are there any alternative vaccinations that can be given to
persons who have eczema or dermatitis?
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AE Mica responds:
While research is ongoing, at the present time the only vaccine available
against smallpox is Dryvax. The CDC guidelines state that eczema and
dermatitis are contraindications to receiving this vaccine. Should
there be an actual outbreak of smallpox, the current recommendations
would be reviewed weighing risk of complications from the vaccine against
risk of the disease.
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AE Mica, RN, BA works full
time with Penn Travel Medicine,
and has more than 20 years of nursing experience.
Her scope of practice includes the administration
of exotic vaccines, including the Vaccinia (Smallpox)
vaccine.
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