Fitness workouts OK after smallpox shot

  • Published
  • By Wayne Amann
  • 37th Training Wing Public Affairs
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) --  Air Force fitness center patrons who receive the smallpox vaccination got a welcome shot in the arm concerning their fitness routines thanks to some common sense rules.

Vaccinated gym-goers can go about their workouts by simply following the precautions prominently posted in the various fitness facilities.

"The main reason for the rules is just close contact with bare skin," said Maj. John Dice, the officer in charge of the Immunizations Clinic at Wilford Hall Medical Center and a physician in the Allergy and Immunology Clinic. "A vaccinated upper arm shouldn't touch someone else or a common object like a shirt or towel, thereby transmitting the vaccine virus that sits on the skin."

-- The only off-limits area is the sauna or steam room. The risk of transmitting is much higher in these rooms since people are sitting close to each other wearing very little clothing.

-- A band-aid or bandage must cover the vaccine site. As the first layer of protection, they effectively reduce the side effects of transmitting the virus.

-- No tank tops are allowed, only shirts with sleeves that cover the immunization site. They provide another barrier.

-- Equipment must be wiped down after use with a solution provided by the fitness center. Normally a 60 percent alcohol-based solution is good. However, the virus can be inactivated by cleaning with hot, soapy water. Wiping can be done with a paper towel or common towel over any sweaty area like a chair.

"The chance of transmitting something down your arm onto equipment is fairly small, but not zero," Dice cautioned. "So it's better to inactivate anything still on there."

-- Showers can be used.

But, how do they differ from the sauna or steam room?

"It's not much of a risk because you're using hundreds of gallons of hot, soapy water," Dice explained. "That's pretty good at diluting the virus down the drain. Just keep the vaccine site clear of others in the shower."

-- When the scab falls off, return to normal gym use. The vaccine-site will heal and form a scab, which holds a little virus. Generally it takes about three weeks for the scab to fall off, leaving normal flat skin.

"That's your marker. That means the site's completely healed over and there's no virus on the skin surface," Dice said. "Your arm's back to normal."

Local base immunizations desk and public health office workers can help answer common questions regarding the smallpox vaccination. (Courtesy of Air Education and Training Command News Service)