Smallpox/Cowpox question

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I know that in days of old, milkmaids and the like were safe from smallpox outbreaks due to their exposure to cowpox (hence the term "skin like a milkmaid"). Would that be a viable route these days? Is cowpox still around? I understand, perhaps wrongly, that it is a fairly mild disease, similar to chicken pox. If this is feasible, how would one go about doing it (just go up to a sick cow and snuggle?) and how sure is it to work?

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), January 17, 2002

Answers

I'm not sure you would want to. In the first place, cow pox CAN leave scars, they are just smaller than small pox scars. Last, but not least, If memory serves me right,I think you will only be immune for 10 years. Also, it is probably going to be VERY hard to find a cow with cow pox now: farmers DON'T want sick cows shedding viruses to the other cows!!!!

-- Terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), January 17, 2002.

This link might answer some of your questions, Cowpox. Guarantees are more likely to be obtained by using a quality vaccine approved by your doctor.

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), January 17, 2002.

Soni,

My dad and his entire family has smallpox when they were kids. Because they lived on a farm and were exposed to cows and cowpox, they all had very mild cases of smallpox with no scars or death. Don't know if humans can really get cowpox or not, but it does seem to boost the immune system to beat smallpox. Darlene

-- Darlene in W WA (tomdarsavy@cs.com), January 19, 2002.


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