Prevention

Vaccination is the most effective means of preventing smallpox infection. Vaccination can even be administered up to 4 or 5 days after a person is exposed to the virus. This practice may not completely prevent disease, but probably it will result in a significantly less severe case of the illness.

• How the vaccination is given: The inoculation is injected with a special 2-pronged needle dipped into the vaccine solution. The needle is then used to prick the skin (usually of the upper arm) 15 times. The pricked spot becomes sore afterward. A red, itchy bump develops in 3-4 days, becomes a pus-filled blister, and begins to drain. During the second week, the blister dries up, and the scab that forms eventually falls off, leaving a small scar. The vaccination site should be kept covered with a bandage and the person with the sore should not touch it.