Vaccination

Smallpox (Variola)

Travel itself does not represent risk of infection with the variola virus. The disease was declared eradicated in 1979, and since 1983 there is no vaccine commercially available.

Some countries have stocks of smallpox vaccine for use in specific emergency situations (e.g. bioterrorism). Only competent and well trained health care personel should preform smallpox vaccination, through intradermal inoculation of the vaccinia virus (smallpox vaccine must not be injected either subcutaneously, intramuscularly or intravenously).

Fernando Costa Silva, 2001