A Question of Blood

 I answered a call for emergency blood donors on Friday - apparently they're a tad short in the area.

However, on filling in the form, which I've done many times, I noted something that I'd missed previously. See question 7.

"In the last 8 weeks, have you been in contact with anyone who has had a smallpox vaccination?"

I've always said no, but anyone of my age would have had one themselves so, if I had contact with anyone of my age and over, then I would have had contact, as well as with myself.

Added to this, if they mean someone who has had a smallpox vaccination within the last 8 weeks, then that's an impossibility, as the last smallpox vaccination was given in the 70s and the disease has been declared eradicated since 1980.

Perhaps it's merely a vestigial question that no-one has thought about. However, protection against smallpox by vaccine lasts only 10 years, so no-one today is immune, unless they've had a recent vaccine because they're working on a live smallpox virus. That could only be to create a biological weapon, and that's illegal, so they'd keep that quiet and would be unlikely to tell me they've recently had a smallpox vaccine.

However, given the potential for a bio weapon being created from smallpox, people could be working with the live virus in order to create vaccines, which are attenuated live viruses. If I have to advise whether I've come into contact with such a person (if I even knew), that means there must be a chance of me catching smallpox from the recently vaccinated person, which is bloody dangerous in terms of blood donation, and from an the perspective of a potential epidemic, given it's highly contagious (R value of 3 and 30% fatality). 

That said, is an attenuated virus that dangerous? I suppose it could be to someone with a depressed immune system who requires blood.

I asked a few friends and it transpires that a small, select group of military and NHS staff are given smallpox vaccinations (the country has 30m vaccine doses) in case someone should lob a smallpox bomb in our direction and people are required to create a vaccine barrier zone. However, even if I know them, are they likely to tell me they've had a smallpox vaccination lately?

Being curious, I put an enquiry into the Blood Donation Service and await a reply.