I Take the Smallpox Vaccine and Feel Part of Israel's Plan
Pacific News Service, Marjorie Pick, Posted: Sep 27, 2002
A young health worker volunteers nervously to be part of Israel's "first line of defense" against biological attack by Iraq. She believes there is a "distinct possibility" of a smallpox attack, PNS contributor Marjorie Pick says, but prays it doesn't come. Pick told her story to PNS contributor Haskell Nussbaum.
JERUSALEM--Three days ago, a nurse grabbed my right arm and pricked it 16 times with a long needle until I bled freely. I watched as a small drop of virus, which had been placed there earlier, started mixing with my blood. Then the nurse slapped on a patch and told me not to remove it so that the virus could enter my bloodstream.
It was that easy to get vaccinated for smallpox.
First, they had asked for volunteers at the hospital where I work as a hematologist. They were looking for young, healthy people. They needed as many as they could find, they said, since the Israeli government's plan is to innoculate 15,000 of us as a first step towards immunizing the entire population. The fear, of course, is the possibility of a biological attack by Iraq.
The plan to protect the country is for us, the first wave, to be vaccinated "actively," with an attenuated version of the virus itself. Or perhaps with a modified strain. I didn't ask. Thus immunized, we -- the first line of defense -- would have our antibodies extracted for injections for the rest of the population, who would receive so-called "passive" immunization. When they asked for volunteers, I didn't hesitate. It's not that I'm a martyr. I just knew that this was something important and I was strong and healthy enough to do it.
In the event of an actual attack I will probably be called upon to be a care-giver, although, to be frank, I lack almost any medical training whatsoever. I've been instructed in the art of resuscitation, to substitute for an electronic respirator in the event that the number of victims overwhelms the available equipment resources. I'm unsure of how effective and helpful I'll be, but I know that I will do my best if prevailed upon. Though not born in Israel -- I moved from my native Melbourne, Australia 12 years ago -- I have a life here worth protecting.
I am almost finished with my Ph.D. and my work in cancer research is rewarding and worthwhile. I have a wide circle of friends and I live in a pleasant community that is a mix of Israelis and immigrants. Being single, I have the luxury of knowing that I don't have to choose whether to stay with a spouse and children or leave them to fend for themselves in the event I am called to help.
At first the vaccine did make me nervous -- just how dangerous was it? I thought I would be unable to have normal contact with any people for a while. But my fears proved unfounded. I am not contagious and it seems I've avoided side-effects -- temperature, painful bone-ache, swelling and even a chance of contracting meningitis. Now I just have the beginnings of a disgusting scab; well, the bigger the scab the better, they say.
My parents, thankfully, have taken this whole vaccinations ordeal well. They assume that the government is being protective, but ultimately no attack will occur. When I asked them to check whether I had a booster shot as a child, it was a trip down memory lane. They took out my baby book and ended up reminiscing as they viewed old photos.
I am not so complacent. My assumption is that the government would not spend millions upon millions of dollars on this kind of mass vaccination unless intelligence information indicated that there was a distinct possibility we would need it. I also don't think that my hospital -- or any hospital in the country for that matter -- is ready for a mass epidemic of smallpox. How can they be, really, when such a thing has never happened here before? All they can do is plan, and hope.
In the end, I have to be satisfied with being part of the plan. I get a feeling of knowing I am doing something useful and am part of a solution. I can only pray that the problem doesn't materialize.
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