How did the smallpox vaccine impact the world?

Smallpox and vaccination are intimately connected. Edward Jenner developed the first vaccine to prevent smallpox infections, and this success led to the global eradication of smallpox and the development of many more life-saving vaccines.

How effective is the smallpox vaccine?

Historically, the vaccine has been effective in preventing smallpox infection in 95\% of those vaccinated. In addition, the vaccine was proven to prevent or substantially lessen infection when given within a few days of exposure.

Why is smallpox important in history?

Smallpox has had a major impact on world history, not least because indigenous populations of regions where smallpox was non-native, such as the Americas and Australia, were rapidly and greatly reduced by smallpox (along with other introduced diseases) during periods of initial foreign contact, which helped pave the …

Why was it important to find a vaccine for smallpox?

Historically, the vaccine has been effective in preventing smallpox infection in 95\% of those vaccinated. In addition, the vaccine was proven to prevent or substantially lessen infection when given within a few days after a person was exposed to the variola virus.

Why is the smallpox vaccine different?

The smallpox vaccine does not contain smallpox virus and cannot spread or cause smallpox. However, the vaccine does contain another virus called vaccinia which is live in the vaccine. Because the virus is alive, it can spread to other parts of the body or to other people from the vaccine site.

What does it mean for a vaccine to be effective?

In a randomized clinical trial, where volunteers are randomly given a vaccine or a placebo, 80\% efficacy means people who got the vaccine were at 80\% lower risk of contracting the disease in question than those in the placebo group (who did not receive the vaccine).

What is the vaccine of smallpox?

The smallpox vaccine protects people from smallpox by helping their bodies develop immunity to smallpox. The vaccine is made from a virus called vaccinia, which is a poxvirus similar to smallpox, but less harmful.

What is the round scar on my arm?

Before the smallpox virus was destroyed in the early 1980s, many people received the smallpox vaccine. As a result, they have a permanent mark on their upper left arm.

Why was smallpox a good candidate for eradication?

Smallpox was a suitable candidate for eradication for several reasons. The disease was passed directly between people, without an intervening vector, so there were no reservoirs. Its distinctive rash made it relatively straight- forward to diagnose, and survivors gained lifetime immunity.

Does the smallpox vaccine prevent you from getting smallpox?

The Smallpox Vaccine Safety page has more information about who is more likely to experience these side effects. Other live virus vaccines currently used include measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox. Smallpox vaccination can protect you from smallpox for about 3 to 5 years.

Why was smallpox easily eradicated?

Several biological reasons favored the eradication of smallpox, the most important of which were probably that recurrent infectivity did not occur, that there was no animal reservoir, and that an effective stable vaccine was available.

What does 95 efficacy mean for a vaccine?

Rather, a 95\% vaccine efficacy means that instead of 1000 COVID-19 cases in a population of 100 000 without vaccine (from the placebo arm of the abovementioned trials, approximately 1\% would be ill with COVID-19 and 99\% would not) we would expect 50 cases (99·95\% of the population is disease-free, at least for 3 months …