Memorandum on vaccination against smallpox.

  • Great Britain. Ministry of Health
Date:
1967
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Memorandum on vaccination against smallpox. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    (a) septic skin conditions; | (b) a history of or the presence of eczema or any other allergic condition; (c) hypogammaglobulinaemia; (d) leukaemia; (e) cortico-steroid and immuno-suppressive treatment; (f) pregnancy. 16. Number of insertions. A single site of insertion is sufficient; when the multiple pressure technique is employed at these later ages, the number of pressures should be ten. ROUTINE RE-VACCINATION 17. Object. The object of re-vaccination is to maintain or to revive the immunity against smallpox conferred by a previous vaccination or re- vaccination. 18. Frequency. The frequency with which routine re-vaccination should be performed varies with circumstances, ¢.g.: (a) Children primarily vaccinated in early childhood—at 8-12 years of age. (b) Those at Special Risk. Doctors, nurses and others liable to serve on the staff of smallpox hospitals, and any persons (e.g., ambulance crews earmarked for smallpox duties) who are likely to have to deal at short notice with smallpox cases or to handle infected material, should be re-vaccinated regularly at not more than yearly intervals. At general, children’s and infectious disease hospitals, the staff should be offered re-vaccination as a routine at least once in every three years. 19. Number of insertions. A single. site of insertion is sufficient; if the multiple pressure technique is employed thirty pressures are advised. VACCINATION IN THE PRESENCE OF SMALLPOX 20. Object. The object in these circumstances is, by primary vaccination or re-vaccination as soon after exposure as possible or, at most, within three . days, to enable the individual to acquire resistance to smallpox within the normal incubation period of that disease. The more rapid evolution of vaccinial infection relative to that of smallpox makes this possible in most instances. To do this effectively it is probably necessary in a primary vaccination to produce by the eighth day the equivalent, in aggregate, of a pustule at least one half inch in diameter; and it is clearly important to be confident that the technique used will produce this result. 7 g