Vaccines – Smallpox, Anthrax, and COVID19

Vaccines – Anthrax, Smallpox and Covid

Got my COVID19 Vaccine this week.  Probably the most excited i’ve been for a shot – ever.  It was almost anti-climactic.  the shot was as painless as a flu shot.  I sat for 15 minutes to ensure I didn’t have an anaphylactic reaction and croak.  My timer went off, and….nothing.  No drama, just a band-aid and a shot card.  And, a few selfies to boot!

During that 15 minutes, I thought, what’s the big deal?  Why so much angst?  I realized during that time that i’ve been in the Army, I’ve been through much much worse.  In the military we were made to have so many vaccines.  We didn’t think much of it.  I’ve had typhoid, Japanese encephalitis, rabies vaccines, anthrax, and smallpox to name just a few.

The worst?  Probably JEV.  That gave me the worst pain that I’ve had.  I swear I got SRIVA from that before SRIVA was known.  Smallpox?  that was a pain in the rear end.  Live vaccinia virus that could cause major side effects.  The worst thing was – that we did it all for nothing.  No WMD.  Anthrax?  That was painful and also fraught with perceived issues.  Rabies?  Painful but tolerable.  I’d rather have pain than die like Ole Yeller.

So. why am i writing about this? I would like to give a bit of perspective of my experience as a physician in the Army when we were giving these vaccines to our Soldiers.  I want to show that despite the seriousness of these side effects, and the side effects, that are so much more concerning that COVID19, yet we did our duty for the safety of our Soldiers and our country.  I was proud of what we did during my service to our country and here’s my experience during the war.   Here’s what we had to face in order to protect our liberties.  I want to highlight two vaccines – smallpox and anthrax.

Smallpox Vaccine

Vaccinia – this is the smallpox vaccine.  I was a young captain, out of residency, recently returned from deployment to Kosovo.  When all of a sudden, the DoD decided that all troops deploying to Iraq to get the smallpox vaccination for fear of biological warfare.  This was a no joke vaccine.  Live vaccinia vaccine that had serious side effects – vaccine generalized vaccinia, eczema, progressive vaccinia.  Side effects that makes COVID 19 vaccine side effects a walk in the park.  We had to extensively screen for those with eczema (a lot of people).  There were even some that got myocarditis, and perimyocarditis.  Finally, benign rashes like EM and folliculius and drug induced rashes were so common, I even wrote about it in the literature.  Folliculitis after smallpox vaccination.

Then, the ramifications of delivering the vaccine, plus the aftercare.  Since this was a live vaccine, the weeping oozing reactions could transmit live virus to others.  We had to be extra careful of those people living with immunocompromised and also those with newborns and pregnant spouses.  It was a hot mess.  Many briefings, many education pieces, and how to properly dispose of your smallpox vaccine waste.  All this teaching to hundreds of Soldiers mainly 18-25 years old.  

And, this was a mandatory vaccine.  That was probably the most challenging vaccine I’ve ever encountered and to direct as a young medical director.  But with the team, and massive education and training, we were able to vaccinate hundreds and hundreds of Soldiers.  And, even though that was challenging and we , thank God, didn’t experience any smallpox, we were trained well.

Anthrax

Fast forward to Iraq Part 2.  In 2006, with Anthrax vaccine now clearing significant hurdles on lawsuits from Soldiers, we were to continue  mandatory Anthrax vaccination (along with smallpox).  Another controversial vaccine, with significant side effects.  This time I was deployed in Iraq when we resumed the vaccination program.  This is a series of 6 shots over 18 months!  SIX shots!  and with very common injection side effects, including injection site effects, rashes, nodules (which may never go away) and reports of weird neuropathies.  This shot was roiled in lawsuits and concern for adverse effects.  Which granted, there was a bunch.  Mainly skin effects.  Skin nodules that may never go away, weird rashes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthrax_Vaccine_Immunization_Program

COVID19

Okay, fast forward to 2021.  COVID19 Vaccine.  Side effects.  Pain in the arm.  Maybe a small flu like illness with shot 2.  95% efficacy, in the middle of a global pandemic.

Smallpox, Anthrax, or COVID 19 vaccine?  Which is the safest?  No contest.

Get the shot people.