The smallpox vaccine is used to prevent infection by the variola virus and was the first vaccine developed against a contagious disease. In 1796 the British physician Edward Jenner demonstrated that infection with the relatively mild cowpox virus conferred immunity against the deadly smallpox disease, and cowpox served as a natural vaccine until the modern smallpox vaccine emerged in the twentieth century. From 1958 to 1977 the World Health Organization conducted a global vaccination campaign that eradicated smallpox, making it the only human disease ever eradicated. Although routine vaccination of the general public has ended, the vaccine is still produced for research and to guard against bioterrorism, and related vaccines such as MVA-BN, LC16m8 and ACAM2000 have also been approved for preventing mpox, a disease caused by a closely related orthopoxvirus.
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Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationLead section
In 1796, British physician Edward Jenner demonstrated that an infection with the relatively mild cowpox virus conferred immunity against the deadly smallpox disease.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallpox_vaccine, lead section
e only human disease to be eradicated. Although routine smallpox vaccination is no longer performed on the general public, the vaccine is still being produced for research, and to guard against bioterrorism and biological warfare.
View the Source Frequently Asked Questions
What is the smallpox vaccine and what else can it prevent?
Prevents smallpox and has proven useful against related orthopoxviruses such as Mpox.
The smallpox vaccine is used to prevent smallpox infection caused by the variola virus. It has also proven useful in preventing emergent infectious diseases caused by closely-related orthopoxviruses such as Mpox. The term vaccine derives from vacca, the Latin word for cow, reflecting the origins of smallpox vaccination.
What are the generations of smallpox vaccine and their side effects?
First and second generations use live vaccinia with serious rare side effects; third generation is attenuated and safer.
From 1796 to the 1880s, the vaccine was transmitted from one person to another through arm-to-arm vaccination. First and second-generation vaccines contain live unattenuated vaccinia virus and can cause serious side effects in a small percentage of recipients, including death in 1 to 10 people per million vaccinations. Third-generation vaccines are much safer due to the milder side effects of the attenuated vaccinia strains. This record describes what the sources state and is not medical advice.
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