And Now, the Good News about Smallpox

Slate ^ | October 26, 2001 | Jon Cohen

[Anotherpundit]

PErsonally, I've been wondering if they could just bioengineer a strain of cowpox to be airborne contagious (and, of course, make double-damn-sure its' "safe",) then spread it out among the populace deliberately.

[vikingchick]

That is good news.

[kaylar]

On another FR thread, several people mentioned they were given the smallpox vaccination on the thigh or buttock, rather than on the arm..."less disfiguring". This was especially likely for girls.

I'm not making light of smallpox, but I do want to say that it does not always leave a person terribly disfigured. I am struck, when reading biographies or histories, with just how many famous people were infected by smallpox, and the wide range of responses these famous victims displayed. Charles II had smallpox, and he apparently was left unscarred , and that's true of other famous smallpox sufferers-some were left entirely unscathed. Fanny Kemble, the famous 19th century actress, was left unscarred and smoothskinned, but her complexion was robbed of its translucence and left with the sallow, muddy, 'thickened' look associated with an older woman who'd had children.( She was still a teen, and had no children.) Other victims were left with only a few scars to hide, and that's how the 18th century fad for black velvet patches started. And some, like Mirabeau, the Duke of Anjou , and one of Marie Antoinette's sisters, were left terribly disfigured. It's not a given that every single infected person will get the absolute worst end result. I do not know what link there might be between those who got off light, and any exposure they might have had to cowpox, but I thought cowpox exposure would have left them totally immune.(???)

That said, I hope steps are being taken to get the vaccine available. And given that smallpox was not eradicated from the third world, and given post 1965 emigration policies, I do not understand why the post 1971 babies were left vulnerable.

[dawn53]

Not everyone got a scar from the smallpox vacination

Exactly, not everyone has a scar. I was vaccinated in the 50's but don't have a scar.

And then if you lived outside the US, you may have a scar from a different kind of a vaccination. For instance, we were living outside the US when my 13 year old son started school, and he had to have a BCG vaccine (for TB) because it was required by the country we were in. This leaves a scar very similar to the smallpox scar.

[rwfromkansas]

Well, this is from Slate...but in any case, MAYBE we are not as bad off as we had thought. I would not bet.....even a dollar on it though.

[rwfromkansas]

Keep in mind the article is only proposing some studies indicate this. It doesn't make it true. Also, that one study indicated it MAY last up to 50 years in some cases....not everyone will even in that study.

[alethia]

My response suggested that if we see outbreaks of smallpox -- particularly since it is quite rare, there would be no mistaking the intent. The intent is what enrages me. If I could trade places with my son, I would. Mother's focus speaking -- and not just for my own, but for all of our children.

Again, great article. Thanks for posting.

[alnick]

I wouldn't call it a large scar. My smallpox vaccination scar is about the size of the tip of my finger. It should be on your upper arm.

[blam]

Isn't Herpes in the pox family?...and might that offer some immunity?

[muggs]

I would think that breastfeeding would offer protection for any antibodies that the mother produces. Maybe not total protection, but some. Also we have better supportive treatment today than was available in the past.

[alethia]

JenB -- as a parent, I would never be fine again if anything like that happened to my son and many of our young people. Just wanted you to know that.

I'm thinking that these terrorists certainly understand the target audience of such an attack. If this happens, you'll see MANY Baby Boomers seriously "go to war" in many ways. And many, many mothers.

[Skibane]

For the good news on anthrax, see this previous Slate piece by Jon Cohen.

Your link just goes back to the Smallpox article. Hopefully, here's the correct link to the Anthrax piece.

[alethia]

"True, but if 30% of our children die, life will not be worth living for many people."

I'm with you on this one, arkfreepdom (love the handle!!).

Think about this for a minute -- all young persons in our country from birth to the age of 29 -- we could lose 30% of two American generations. Children and grandchildren.

[TomB]

A couple of points on smallpox, and its vaccine.

The decision to end immunizations for smallpox after eradication was the only logical choice considering there is a (very) small chance of sickness or death from the vaccination. While the risks were worth it compared to the mortality rate of the disease, it is not worth it to continue it just for piece of mind.

As far as the disease itself, the most important thing to remember is that it is NOT contagious in its initial stages. Only after the appearance of the telltale rash, usually after 10 or 12 days, does the disease become contagious. However, once the rash does appear, the patient becomes very weak and is likely to be bedridden by that time. This means that containing the disease is much easier that you've been led to believe.

Also, as we are seeing with anthrax, the mortality rate is going to be much lower than expected because of newer treatments.

On the whole, smallpox, while potentially dangerous, is very controllable.

[MadelineZapeezda]

I just recently learned from my mother in law that her 2 sisters had small pox in the 1930's. 2 girls out of a family of 8 children. (The parents were vaccinated prior to coming to America as immigrants.) The good news is that they both survived and are still living today with no side effects. The family was quarintined and the siblings were vaccinated immediately by the county Board of Health.

[holyscroller]

"No-- the really good news is that the vaccine we have can ALL reserved for our children, who were never vaccinated."

Well take comfort the distribution will be done right. It will be distributed ethnically, just to be fair, starting with the largest groups of minorities, then illegal alien's kids. If there's any left, maybe your kids will get some.

[muggs]

No everyone will have a large scar from the Small pox vaccine. I can't find a scar on my arm that would be caused by the vaccine so I asked my mother about it yesterday. I do remember having to wear a dome shaped, hard patch on my upper arm for a couple days when I was very young. I asked her about the patch and she said that was what they put on my arm when I got my small pox shot.

[RANGERAIRBORNE]

I made this same argument on another thread- there are some good reasons NOT to use smallpox as a biowarfare weapon, but chief among them is the vulnerability of your own population. And, in the case of the Middle East, where sanitary standards are low, public health is often pretty marginal, and crowding is common, such an epidemic would be devastating. In sub-Saharan Africa, it would probably cause 60-70% fatalities.

Ah, you say, but Iraq (for example) could simply immunize all of it's people.

No, they couldn't. The mere possession of enough smallpox vaccine to do the job would be an admission of guilt, and it's use could not be hidden for long- even from our bumbling CIA.

The result would be the total annihilation of that country by the U.S. (especially when our children start dying by the tens of thousands).

There are suicide bombers, but I am not aware of any "suicide nations".

[Bill Rice]

Sometimes it on the arse. I remember eating the Polio vaccine on a sugar cube. Did they scrape it in and inject it also?

[Sabertooth]

Isn't Herpes in the pox family?...and might that offer some immunity?

No and no.

Chicken Pox is in the Herpes family of viruses, and is not a true pox.

Smallpox and cowpox are true poxes, and are of the variola family.