Vaccination Scars?

[vactastic]

All my friends, family and work collegues have three small scars on one of their arms where they got their vaccines when they were young. I thought I got my vaccines too but I don't have any scars at all. Is that right? Does this mean the vaccines didn't work?

[tjlhb]

If they were born in the 1970s or earlier, they may have scars from the smallpox vaccine.

Because smallpox vaccine has not been given since the late 1970s, those born later will not have had that vaccine or the scars from it.

Other vaccines commonly given (measles, mumps, rubella, influenza, polio, pneumonia, etc.) tend not to leave scars.

[NCGuy]

All vaccinations normally given today in the USA do not leave scars. The smallpox vaccine was given intradermally, caused a blister (if the vaccination was successful) and resulted in a small round scar. Only some military members receive the smallpox vaccination now - and in 2003-2004 certain healthcare personnel and people volunteering for the smallpox vaccine clinical trials received it. European countries vaccinate for Tuberculosis with the BCG vaccine. It also leaves a scar sometimes simular to the smallpox vaccination scar. It is now normally given only to succeptable infants but was also given to teenagers up until around 2005. The smallpox and the BCG (TB) vaccinations both were typically given in the upper arm. Some people in Eoropean countries have the BCG and Smallpox vaccination scar and some have more than one BCG scar.