smallpox vaccination?

[ryan at mbcf.stjude.org]

In article <3s7i83$mda at hydra.cc.umb.edu>, g1687jkarh at umbsky.cc.umb.edu writes:
>     Is smallpox vaccine still available in the U.S.A. for civilians? If not
> any idea on where I can be vaccinated or variolated?
> 


Yes, it is available. I believe the only source these days is CDC. As Joao
Costa pointed out, immunization is an important laboratory safety issue for
people working with vaccinia virus or its recombinants. While vaccinia virus
infections are not threatening to most people (vaccinia is the vaccine virus
given to immunize against smallpox) they can be serious in the immunosupressed,
or in people with certain otherwise mild disorders (eg, eczema). Vaccinia
is also devestating to the fetus if a pregnant mom is infected. Even
normal healthy individuals can suffer damage if vaccinia infects conjunctival
tissue. For these reasons CDC supplies vaccine preparations for laboratories to
protect their personnel. 

Since smallpox is not a public health threat any more,
I don't think there is a commercial supplier. Hence I think individual
clinicians would have a hard time getting the stuff. Here, our hospital
biosafety people get a batch from CDC a couple of times a year, and administer
at one time to all new personnel at risk. 

Current guidelines are for
revaccination every ten years to maintain protection, although I suspect that
protection against vaccinia may persist for a longer time than would protection
against the heterologous agent variola.

If your institution's biosafety types need a contact name at CDC, email me and
I'll try to forward information from our people.

Cheers,
Kevin. 


-- 
--
       	==========================================
	Kevin W. Ryan
	Department of Virology & Molecular Biology
	St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
	Memphis, Tennessee 38101-0318, U.S.A.
	
	phone: (901) 522-0411
	fax:   (901) 523-2622
	Internet: ryan at mbcf.stjude.org
	==========================================