Vaccination, along with sanitation and clean drinking water, are public health interventions that are undeniably responsible for improved health outcomes globally. It is estimated that vaccines have prevented 6 million deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases annually (Ehreth, 2003).

Edward Jenner, FRS FRCPE (17 May 1749 – 26 January 1823) was an English physician and scientist who pioneered the concept of vaccines including creating the smallpox vaccine, the world’s first vaccine.

Smallpox inarguably shaped the course of human history by killing countless millions in both the Old World and the New World. Dr. Edward Jenner’s discovery of vaccination in the late 18th century, and the global eradication of smallpox in the 1970s, rank among the greatest achievements in human history.

Vaccination helps to prevent productivity loss through illness and absence from work. 6 million working days are lost in the UK due to seasonal influenza every year. Vaccines help reduce the risk of catching infectious diseases while travelling, making it safer for people to travel for work or leisure.

The most common side effects after vaccination are mild. They include: Pain, swelling, or redness where the shot was given. Mild fever.

You may have side effects after vaccination, but these are normal. It typically takes two weeks after you are fully vaccinated for the body to build protection (immunity) against the virus that causes COVID-19.

COVID-19 (coronavirus): Long-term effects COVID-19 symptoms can sometimes persist for months. The virus can damage the lungs, heart and brain, which increases the risk of long-term health problems. Most people who have coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) recover completely within a few weeks.

Smallpox is the only human disease that has been successfully eradicated. Smallpox, an infectious disease caused by the variola virus was a major cause of mortality in the past, with historic records of outbreaks across the world. Its historic death tolls were so large that it is often likened to the Black Plague.

Smallpox Vaccine Side Effects

• Itching.
• Swollen lymph nodes.
• Sore arm from the shot.
• Fever.
• Headache.
• Body ache.
• Mild rash.
• Fatigue (tiredness)

Long-term side effects for military Veterans who received the anthrax vaccine with the Squalene adjuvant may include:

• Autoimmune arthritis.
• Multiple sclerosis.
• Lupus.
• Infertility.
• Allergic neuritis (nerve inflammation that can lead to paralysis)

Can a person get shingles if they have had chickenpox disease or varicella vaccination? Answer: Yes. The same virus that causes chickenpox (the varicella-zoster virus) causes shingles.

Life-Threatening Reactions to the Smallpox Vaccine Eczema vaccinatum. Serious skin rashes caused by widespread infection of the skin in people with skin conditions such as eczema or atopic dermatitis. Progressive vaccinia (or vaccinia necrosum).