Smallpox
By U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Posted 3/29/06
Page 3 of 3
What We Don't Know About the Smallpox Vaccine
Experts do not know how many of those vaccinated or revaccinated for smallpox before 1972 can still get sick if exposed today.
Prevention
- Place smallpox patients in medical isolation so that they will not spread the virus.
- Take special precautions to ensure that all bedding and clothing of patients are cleaned using bleach and hot water.
- Clean contaminated surfaces with disinfectants, such as bleach or ammonia.
- Within three days, vaccinate people who have come into direct and prolonged face-to-face contact with smallpox patients. Closely watch them for symptoms of smallpox.
- In an aerosol release, widespread decontamination is not necessary, since the airborne virus rapidly blows away from the area and particles die on their own within one to two days.
- Physicians typically use a "ring vaccination" approach, vaccinating the circle of people who may have come in contact with a smallpox patient and the family contacts of this group of people in order to provide a ring of protection from further spread. This approach was successfully used in the past to control outbreaks until smallpox was finally eradicated.
Assessing the Risk
- The smallpox virus has a low availability, as the only two confirmed repositories for the virus are in high-containment laboratories in the United States and Russia. Still, there is concern that some countries may have secretly retained their smallpox samples for bioweapons research and production.
- The smallpox virus is highly stable (can survive for one to two days) in aerosol form.
- Terrorists would have to be moderately skilled to produce the smallpox virus in aerosol form if they could acquire the virus.
- Smallpox is highly lethal because it kills approximately 30 percent of those infected; it is quite contagious and spreads from person to person.
More information on disasters and emergencies is available at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's website: http://www.hhs.gov/emergency
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