A distinctive scar on my mother’s arm has been etched in my memory since childhood. Located high up, near her shoulder, the scar resembles a ring of small indents surrounding a larger one. Years later, I caught sight of an identical scar on an elderly woman’s arm, sparking my curiosity about the origin of these marks.
My mother revealed that the scar was a result of the smallpox vaccine she received as a child. Smallpox, a highly infectious and viral disease, once ravaged human populations, causing widespread skin rashes and fever. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that during the 20th century’s most devastating outbreaks, smallpox claimed the lives of three out of every ten victims.
Thanks to the widespread implementation of the smallpox vaccine, the virus was declared extinct in the United States in 1952. Routine smallpox vaccinations ceased in 1972. However, prior to the 1970s, all children received the smallpox vaccine, which left behind a distinctive scar – a permanent mark indicating successful vaccination against smallpox.
The smallpox vaccine caused scars due to the body’s natural healing process. The vaccine was administered using a special two-pronged needle, which made multiple punctures in the skin to deliver the vaccine to the dermis, the layer beneath the epidermis. The virus within the vaccine multiplied, causing round bumps to develop, which eventually turned into vesicles – small, fluid-filled blisters. As these blisters burst and scabbed over, they left behind the characteristic scar.
The smallpox vaccine scar has become a distinctive mark, signifying a person’s vaccination history. For those who received the vaccine, the scar serves as a permanent reminder of their protection against smallpox. As a testament to the vaccine’s effectiveness, the scar has become an enduring symbol of medical progress and the triumph over a once-devastating disease.
