| Should I
get smallpox or anthrax vaccine? No.
At this time, these vaccines are not available to the general
public or the medical community. Anthrax
vaccination currently requires 6 shots over an 18-month period with
periodic boosters. At this
time, anthrax vaccine is in limited supply and only available for
military personnel thought to be at higher risk for potential exposure
to anthrax in combat settings.
Smallpox
vaccinations were discontinued in the United States in 1972, and the
last naturally occurring human case worldwide occurred in Somalia in
1977. Smallpox vaccine is
no longer a licensed product in the United States and was removed from
the commercial market in 1983 as a result of the successful eradication
of smallpox. According to
the CDC, the United States Public Health Service maintains an emergency
stockpile of approximately 15 million doses.
Because of the risks of smallpox vaccine, especially in
immunocompromised persons, and because of the limited supply of vaccine
available, there is no recommendation for initiating widespread
vaccination for smallpox at this time, in the absence of any human
cases. More detailed
information on smallpox vaccine is available at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5010a1.htm |