Smallpox immunisation - Tissue - Deceased Donors

Scenarios

Immunised individual
Obligatory

Must not donate if:

  1. All tissues:
    1. The inoculation site has not fully healed.
    2. Any secondarily infected site has not fully healed.
    3. Less than eight weeks from inoculation or from the appearance of any secondarily infected site.

  2. Skin only:
    Less than two weeks after the last lesion healed.
Additional information

Smallpox immunisation is with live virus. By eight weeks, the infection caused by the inoculation should have been controlled. If the wound has not healed it is possible that there may still be infection present. We do not want to pass the virus, or other infection, on to staff, or to people receiving tissues.

Contact with an immunised individual
Obligatory

Must not donate if:

  1. All tissues:
    1. Any secondarily infected site has not yet healed.
    2. Less than eight weeks after secondarily infected site appeared.

  2. Skin only:
    Less than two weeks after the last lesion healed on the infected contact.
Discretionary

All tissues except skin:

If no new skin lesions, accept.

Additional information

Close contacts of vaccinees (household or direct bodily contact) may become secondarily infected from direct skin contact with an infected inoculation site or from virus on clothing, bedding, dressings etc. If infection occurs, a new skin rash, blister or sore appears at the site of contact, which could be anywhere on the body. The rash represents a secondary vaccination site and presents exactly the same potential risk to patients and staff as that of a person who has been intentionally immunised.