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Medical Correspondent Takes Viewer Questions
Aired December 13, 2002 - 14:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's bring our Elizabeth Cohen back in, medical correspondent.
We got a number of e-mails, Elizabeth, for you, wondering about this vaccination and the dangers, and if they should get it. I'm going to get right to it, OK?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: OK.
PHILLIPS: Rosemary from New York says do people that have received the vaccine when they were children still have to be revaccinated? No one that I've heard has addressed this question.
COHEN: Yes, the answer is if you want to be fully protected from smallpox, you would have to receive the vaccination. That's because those of us who are over 30 and received the vaccination as young children, if we have immunity left, it would be limited immunity. The good news is that people who have already been vaccinated would have a lower risk of having bad side effects from the vaccine -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. This one comes from Pattie, she says mu husband has eczema, so should I and my son choose to get the shot, how long will we be contagious with the virus and therefore have to stay clear of him?--
COHEN: Well, actually, if your husband has eczema you should not get the shot. The Centers for Disease Control makes it clear that you should not get the vaccination at this time where there's been no smallpox attack, you should not get the vaccination, if you have eczema or someone in your household has eczema. And the reason why is that the vaccine site is contagious. If you're going to get the vaccination, someone could touch that site and become ill. So if anyone in your household has eczema at this point you should not get the vaccine -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. This one comes from a concerned parent to be: I'm concerned that my husband was told he'd be getting the smallpox vaccine in a couple of weeks. He is a member of the military. But I'm 6.5 months pregnant and I have had a life-long history of eczema. Also, she goes on to say, since eczema is hereditary, are there risks to her unborn child, as well? And what are the risks of my husband getting the vaccine with regard to me and our child...
COHEN: Now, I've been told that the rules for whether or not someone should get vaccinated will be the same for the military as for a civilian. For example, if someone in the military is pregnant, they should not get the vaccine. So from what this woman's saying, her husband's in the military, she's pregnant, if her husband lives with her, in other words if he's not deployed, if he's still living in the house, he should not get the vaccination, because the CDC says don't get it if you live with someone who's pregnant. Now, if he doesn't live with them and he's been deployed,that would sort of be a tougher one to sort out, because it depends how much time is he with her, how much time is he not with her, but again, if someone is living in a household with a pregnant woman, they should not get the vaccine.
PHILLIPS: All right, one more, Elizabeth. This is from Mary in Arkansas: What side effects does have? I have epilepsy. And can the vaccine cause me to have a higher risk of seizures? --
COHEN: I'll tell you, I have not heard anything about epileptics and this vaccine. I have not heard that epileptics should not get this. If you go to CDC web site, which is cdc.gov, it has a list of people who should not get it. Pregnant women shouldn't get it, people with eczema shouldn't get it, people with HIV and other immune deficiencies should not get it. I've never hear that epileptics should not get it.
PHILLIPS: All right, medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen, thanks, Elizabeth.
COHEN: Thanks.
PHILLIPS: Great insight.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 13, 2002 - 14:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's bring our Elizabeth Cohen back in, medical correspondent.
We got a number of e-mails, Elizabeth, for you, wondering about this vaccination and the dangers, and if they should get it. I'm going to get right to it, OK?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: OK.
PHILLIPS: Rosemary from New York says do people that have received the vaccine when they were children still have to be revaccinated? No one that I've heard has addressed this question.
COHEN: Yes, the answer is if you want to be fully protected from smallpox, you would have to receive the vaccination. That's because those of us who are over 30 and received the vaccination as young children, if we have immunity left, it would be limited immunity. The good news is that people who have already been vaccinated would have a lower risk of having bad side effects from the vaccine -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. This one comes from Pattie, she says mu husband has eczema, so should I and my son choose to get the shot, how long will we be contagious with the virus and therefore have to stay clear of him?--
COHEN: Well, actually, if your husband has eczema you should not get the shot. The Centers for Disease Control makes it clear that you should not get the vaccination at this time where there's been no smallpox attack, you should not get the vaccination, if you have eczema or someone in your household has eczema. And the reason why is that the vaccine site is contagious. If you're going to get the vaccination, someone could touch that site and become ill. So if anyone in your household has eczema at this point you should not get the vaccine -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. This one comes from a concerned parent to be: I'm concerned that my husband was told he'd be getting the smallpox vaccine in a couple of weeks. He is a member of the military. But I'm 6.5 months pregnant and I have had a life-long history of eczema. Also, she goes on to say, since eczema is hereditary, are there risks to her unborn child, as well? And what are the risks of my husband getting the vaccine with regard to me and our child...
COHEN: Now, I've been told that the rules for whether or not someone should get vaccinated will be the same for the military as for a civilian. For example, if someone in the military is pregnant, they should not get the vaccine. So from what this woman's saying, her husband's in the military, she's pregnant, if her husband lives with her, in other words if he's not deployed, if he's still living in the house, he should not get the vaccination, because the CDC says don't get it if you live with someone who's pregnant. Now, if he doesn't live with them and he's been deployed,that would sort of be a tougher one to sort out, because it depends how much time is he with her, how much time is he not with her, but again, if someone is living in a household with a pregnant woman, they should not get the vaccine.
PHILLIPS: All right, one more, Elizabeth. This is from Mary in Arkansas: What side effects does have? I have epilepsy. And can the vaccine cause me to have a higher risk of seizures? --
COHEN: I'll tell you, I have not heard anything about epileptics and this vaccine. I have not heard that epileptics should not get this. If you go to CDC web site, which is cdc.gov, it has a list of people who should not get it. Pregnant women shouldn't get it, people with eczema shouldn't get it, people with HIV and other immune deficiencies should not get it. I've never hear that epileptics should not get it.
PHILLIPS: All right, medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen, thanks, Elizabeth.
COHEN: Thanks.
PHILLIPS: Great insight.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
