Smallpox immunisation - Whole Blood and Components
Scenarios
Immunised individual
- Includes
- Excludes
- Obligatory
Must not donate if:
- The inoculation site has not fully healed.
- Any secondarily infected site has not fully healed.
- Less than eight weeks from inoculation or from the appearance of any secondarily infected site.
- 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 other donors, staff or to people receiving donated material.
Contacts of immunised individuals
- Includes
- Excludes
- Obligatory
Must not donate if:
- Any secondarily infected site has not yet healed.
- Less than eight weeks after secondarily infected site appeared.
- Discretionary
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, other donors and staff as that from a person who has been intentionally immunised.