Hygiena 2022, 67(4):123-124 | DOI: 10.21101/hygiena.a1824
The share of Czech and Slovak doctors in achieving the global eradication of smallpox
- Ústav verejného zdravotníctva, Jesseniova lekárska fakulta v Martine, Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave, Slovenská republika
Bifurcated needles used in the program of global smallpox eradication. They were introduced in 1968 and significantly simplified the vaccination process. The needles were in a plastic container with a conical lid with a hole, which only one needle fitted in. A vaccinator pulled it out and dipped the bifurcated part in the ampoule with a vaccine. The necessary amount of vaccine was captured in the gap between the prongs. Subsequently, it was vaccinated by repeated punctures into the skin. The needles used were placed in an empty container and sterilized. This procedure could be performed also by local vaccinators after a short training.
Photo: Prof. MUDr. Tibor Baška, PhD.
Received: December 2022; Accepted: January 20, 2023; Published: December 31, 2022 Show citation
