Safety

Vaccine in older people still works, study says

Emergency Management Alert, May 28, 2003

A team of scientists from Oregon Health and Science University found that people vaccinated against smallpox prior to 1972 still have a high immunity against the virus, Reuters reports.

The group tested the blood of 306 people from 30 states and 34 different countries and discovered that those vaccinated still had some degree of immunity to the virus. The government's current vaccination program assumes that immunity fades after five years.

The findings suggest that should an outbreak of smallpox occur, it would not be necessary to vaccinate the whole population, the report says.

Regardless of the tests results, the head of the research team says it still makes sense to vaccinate the public, as those with immunity can still become ill and pass the virus on to others.

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