Man who got smallpox vaccine passes milder infection to sex partner

[Chicharronita]

I hope the military is informing personnel to keep the vaccine site covered.

"A man recently vaccinated for smallpox under a U.S. Defense Department program passed a milder, related form of the disease on to a man he had sex with, and that man then passed it on to yet another man, federal health officials reported Thursday."

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-smallpox-vaccine-milder-infection-sex.html

 

The full report is on page 145 of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: 

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/wk/mm6208.pdf

[fruitfulmomma]

This is older, but in this case the child became very sick, likely due to eczema which is contraindication. His wife also had a mild reaction... http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/18/health/18smallpox.html?_r=0

[Dakotacakes]

Interessting story. I am confused by some of the headlines of it being sexually transmitted though. From my reading it was the uncovered wound/rash that came in contact with the others that transmitted the disease, not the actual sexual contact?

It appears that they are all going to be okay which I am glad of. For me the larger story is one of safe sex and personal protection, it appears both men knew about the lesions/rashes on their sexual partner and continued with the act anyway. That makes me a little concerened about the status of sexual healh in our country tbh.

[Chicharronita]

Originally Posted by Dakotacakes 

Interessting story. I am confused by some of the headlines of it being sexually transmitted though. From my reading it was the uncovered wound/rash that came in contact with the others that transmitted the disease, not the actual sexual contact?

Yes that's right. Man A had sex with Man B while his weepy vaccine wound was uncovered, and Man B developed a perianal rash. Despite this, he had sex with Man C, who developed painful genital lesions and one on his arm. Man B "only" got a lesion on his lip. They both developed other symptoms as well, but Man C had the worst.

[Imakcerka]

Things they tell you to do after getting the shot

Keep it covered, do not touch it, do not scratch it and if you do touch it wash your hands.  Oh and not to go to the gym. 

[grisandole]

My son had an awful reaction to the smallpox shot, he said it was the worst experience he ever had with a vaccine and/or illness. To be fair to the military, it was my son's fault....they did mention before the shot that if one has had excema, not to get it because of the potential for a bad reaction. Son wasn't really paying attention, just wanted to get it over with. Chatting with a friend later, who mentioned that he didn't get the shot because he had excema as a child. Son has a lightbulb moment and recalls that he had SEVERE excema as a baby, and then moderate from about 9mos - 2yo, then mild until about 5. UGH! I joke with him that all my organic food and no vax were for naught now that he is military :)
 

[grisandole]

It is in my son's enlistment paperwork, when he first applied that he had excema. However, paperwork in he military....and medical records specifically....is a mess and the doctors just asked rather than had his medical history up. I work for the VA, where we now have electronic health records, but DoD has not quite done that yet, and so much is still done by hand and a lot doesn't quite make it into the official record. Scary.

[Chicharronita]

Originally Posted by grisandole 

UGH! I joke with him that all my organic food and no vax were for naught now that he is military :)
 

Hopefully it's still helping!

But does he know that any future wife or children can get vaccine exemptions? They make it sound like vaccines are mandatory to go to DoD schools and to participate in some child-centered military base activities, but they're not.

I know someone who laid the foundation to get exemptions easily once DS2 was born and she told her doctor she wanted a religious one.

The doctor wanted the parents to sign one of those forms forcing them to admit that not vaccinating would be harmful. The M.D. handed them the form already signed, expecting them to sign it right there and hand it back immediately. The mother took one look at it and said, "I'll need to look this over." She then took it home and crossed out words and whole sentences she didn't agree with, and added text where necessary to make the form agreeable and not ridiculous and then gave it back at the following visit. Boy was the doctor surprised when she saw how altered it was. But too bad so sad, the form is now in their files and has set a precedent that follows them from station to station, and no one even bats an eye when they say they have an exemption. I told her to be sure to make a copy of it in case it "accidentally" disappears.