Already, some First Responders in Lubbock are rolling up their sleeves to get the smallpox vaccine. So, why are some people poked 15 times and others just three times? Ken Conden, bioterrorism expert with the Lubbock Health Department, explained that on HealthWise at 5.
"Revaccinees, like myself, who've had it in childhood or in the military need 15 pokes to get the vaccine to confer an immune response. But for people who've never had the vaccine before, they need just three pokes to get an immune response," said Conden.
In other words, if you had the vaccine when you were younger, you get the bigger dose this time around, but first timers get lucky with just three pokes. By the way, Condon also says that about a dozen First Responders have been vaccinated here so far and no one has had a negative response.
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