Smallpox Vaccines Appear to Last a Lifetime

If you received a smallpox vaccine during your lifetime, it's likely that you would still have some protection if the virus were used in a bio terrorism attack, according to a study.

Tests showed that people who were vaccinated as long as 75 years ago still had at least some immunity to the virus, suggesting that smallpox immunity lasts virtually a lifetime.

Routine smallpox vaccination was stopped in the United States in 1972, and the World Health Organization reported that the disease had been eliminated in 1980.

Some 90 percent of Americans over the age of 30 years have been vaccinated against smallpox at least once, which indicates that as many as 150 million people still have some degree of immunity to the smallpox virus, researchers said.

However, to defend against and discourage a potential bio terrorist attack that could use smallpox as the weapon, the Untied States has begun a smallpox vaccination campaign assuming that vaccinations stop providing immunity after about five years.

About 36,000 health care and emergency workers have already been vaccinated and the military is vaccinating 500,000 personnel.

In the study, researchers looked at the blood of 306 people who had received the smallpox vaccination in the past. Everyone still had some degree of immunity.

While immunity appeared highest right after getting a vaccination, the level of immunity returns to a set point, even among people who had received multiple immunizations, researchers said.

People with some immunity can become ill from the smallpox virus, though they are less likely to die from it. They can also pass the disease to others.

At least half of the study participants had high levels of antibodies that would protect against serious infection, according to past studies conducted when smallpox was still around.

Based on the findings, researchers suggest that if there were a smallpox attack it would not be necessary to mass-vaccinate the population.
Reuters, 20th May 2003

CTM COMMENT: The revered Reuters has spoken. That doesn't mean this latest story has any substance. The truth is, we have been sold one enormous lie as far as vaccination is concerned. The same can be said for smallpox and the supposed dangers attached to this disease. The coming release from Credence entitled Wake Up To Health in the 21st Century brings a fantastic amount of information on the disinformation we have been fed over the years by the conventional health establishment on 'infectious' diseases. Watch out for this latest release, coming soon. In the meantime, relax about smallpox.