If you have previously received the smallpox vaccination, can it protect you from Monkeypox?

The CDC declared that Monkeypox is closely associated with this virus which causes smallpox, and vaccines for smallpox can offer certain protection from Monkeypox.

Charlotte, N.C. -- With cases of Monkeypox rising all over the U.S. and in the Carolinas, many people who were given a vaccine for smallpox have asked whether this vaccine is able to keep them safe from smallpox.

WCNC Charlotte's VERIFY team received this question from a viewer Lynda O.

"Does the smallpox vaccination given to children before 1972 give immunity against Monkeypox? "

Our Sources
South Carolina State Epidemiologist Dr. Lynda Bell

The CDC

The CDC stated that Monkeypox was closely associated with the smallpox virus, and smallpox vaccines may provide some protection from Monkeypox.

At present, the two smallpox vaccines available on the market are also used to prevent Monkeypox and are given to those who are thought to be at risk. The CDC reported that its past research has shown that the smallpox vaccine is 85percent effective in preventing Monkeypox.

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What happens if you received the vaccine for smallpox decades ago? The CDC declared that the routine vaccination for smallpox was stopped in 1972 after the disease was eliminated within the U.S., which means smallpox vaccinations are not given regularly to the general population.

Bell admitted that while the smallpox vaccine can help prevent Monkeypox, researchers are still studying the length of time that this protection will be effective and whether those who were vaccinated prior to 1972 remain protected.

"We aren't sure the extent to which people will get full protection from prior vaccination, specifically from decades-old smallpox vaccine," Bell said.

However, the CDC has noted that during a 2003 outbreak of Monkeypox, patients who had received the vaccine years ago were infected.

Bell stated that researchers would keep researching this in order to determine how long the vaccine would offer protection.

"We do believe that prior smallpox vaccinations may give some form of immunity, but it hasn't been extensively studied," Bell said.

The CDC states that if a person who has had exposure to Monkeypox has not received a vaccination against smallpox in the past three years, they need to think about having a vaccination.