Here an interesting question.
How is a smallpox vaccine manufactured for the military when it is supposed to be wiped out?
I can't seem to think of any other diesase used other the cowpox..
2007-10-29 15:39:54 · 10 answers · asked by Doesntstayinvegas.com 3 in Health ➔ Other - Health
Smallpox isn't wiped out as in wiped out of existence off the face of the earth. It still exists, in the CDC laboratories, in freezers. They also keep stores of vaccine, and in 2000 contracted with a lab to produce additional stores of it. The virus is used to produce the vaccine, not cowpox or any other type of "pox". Cowpox infections offer future resistance to smallpox, but doesn't confer immunity- so the small pox vaccination would still be needed if there were an outbreak.
2007-10-29 15:49:17 · answer #1 · answered by The mom 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
The vaccine against smallpox is made from purified and attenuated cowpox (vaccinia) virus. This is derived from calf lymph and is not dependent on there being any actual smallpox virus available as none is in the vaccine.
Smallpox has been eliminated in the wild all over the world because vaccination was so effective. There are samples of the virus kept in the USA and Russia in well controlled laboratories. However, it is always possible that some rogue nation or group has access to smallpox virus and could possibly use it in a biological attack. We therefore need to keep a stock of vaccine against it and to ensure that troops being deployed into situations where biological weapons might be used are suitably protected.
2016-05-14 12:16:17 · answer #2 · answered by Roddy 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There are many ways to develop a vaccine.
Some are made from killed live viruses/ Bacteria and some from modified strains of a virus ( i.e this modified strain will not cause disease but will make the body produce antibodies that will fight both the modified and unmodified disease causing strains). These are the so called " live" vaccines. Eg. Rubella, chicken pox, polio vaccines.
Other vaccines are produced form protien products or parts of a bacterium/virus. E.g - the tetenus toxoid vaccine.
The smallpox , I think is a live virus vaccine. You don't need the disease causing virus to produce a vaccine. Once a vacccine has been developed - you just need to keep manufacturing the vaccine!
The smallpox may be elimated but who knows if a related modified strain will emerge in the future. Most labs dealing with contagious diseases usually keep a sample of viruses and bacterium in storage. So i'm sure there's a smallpox sample out there somewhere.
Hope this answers your question.
2007-10-29 15:57:19 · answer #3 · answered by grapevine 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
2
2016-08-23 14:43:50 · answer #4 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Smallpox vaccine is not now and never was made from smallpox virus. It is made from the virus for vaccinia, also known as cowpox. Cowpox is a related virus. it was first used in 1796 by Edward Jenner to prevent smallpox after he discovered that milkmaids never got smallpox. This is the first recognized vaccination, and the word vaccination comes from vaccinia, which is derived from the Latin word for cow.
The current vaccine is manufactured by Wyeth and is a live-virus preparation of vaccinia virus prepared from calf lymph.
2007-10-29 15:59:30 · answer #5 · answered by nobodyinparticular 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Actually there is still smallpox virus. It can be found in those big medical test labs, pharmaceutical companies, and science labs. It isn't really wiped out. We just developed immunity to it.
2007-10-29 15:43:51 · answer #6 · answered by N.M.M.P.P.I. 2 · 2⤊ 2⤋
ive read part of "demon in the freezer", and it says that the disease is eradicated, but there are two official stores of it in the world. not sure where. the book also says that it is likely that there are other illegal stores of the virus. if youre interested, google the book. i forgot the author's name, but its interesting, mainly dealing with anthrax and smallpox. hope this helps
2007-10-29 15:43:58 · answer #7 · answered by Amanda H 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
smallpox is pretty much obsolete in today's world, but the united states still has a sufficient amount of smallpox vaccine. i'm pretty sure they don't manufacture smallpox vaccinations anymore.
2007-10-29 15:45:20 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
It's wiped out from the population; there are still cultures in places like the CDC in Atlanta (and probably other locations in the U.S.), as well as other labs throughout the world.
2007-10-29 15:42:24 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Who says that you can't make it from dead smallpox? Just because they're wiped out doesn't mean that you don't have dead samples.
2007-10-29 15:42:05 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋