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February 24, 2003

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"FDA Restricts Blood Donation by Smallpox Vaccine Recipients" Infectious Diseases in Children (www.idinchildren.com) (02/03) Vol. 16, No. 2, P. 3; Bechtel, Bryan

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a recommendation for a waiting period before donating blood if one has received the smallpox vaccine.  The three-week grace period also stands for people who may have come in contact with a vaccinated person and thereafter become infected, though not for those who have had contact but showed no signs of infection.  In all cases, patients should wait 14 days after any complications are cleared up, and vaccine recipients should not seek to donate blood if a scab is still present at the vaccination site, which can be as long as six weeks.  The guidelines are designed to be followed in the current climate, when smallpox is not present in the population; however, should a smallpox outbreak occur, blood banks are encouraged to reassess the situation and act as needed for the populace as a whole.  The FDA is currently looking into whether the vaccinia virus is actually present in the bloodstream after vaccination, as there is some question about its presence, but the guidelines have been put in place as a safety measure in case the virus is present.  There has never been a reported case of transmission of the virus through blood transfusions, but the FDA wants to minimize the risk of disease contraction for patients with compromised immune systems, those with burns, and those with serious skin conditions, who are at a higher risk of developing the disease when in contact with newly vaccinated patients.

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