The good news is that thus far, the smallpox vaccine that exists is effective against monkeypox. The bad news is that almost no young people are smallpox vaccinated, although there is a stockpile.
Oh and this one more severely hits children, so I don't want to hear Dull Taco's "but its only the olds who will die!"
F**king boomers.
I saw a video from Dr John Campbell (who has gained some fame in the past two years) on this. He's in his 60s and I think he mentioned that he got that vaccine when he was young, but that getting it wasn't that common amongst anyone by that point. It's probably the pre-"Boomers" (i.e. those at least in their 70s) who have had it in the highest numbers.
I asked my parents about the smallpox vaccine casually when COVID vaccines were a major discussion point: They both have the smallpox vaccine scar on their upper shoulders are in their late 60s. It was part of my theory on why vaccine uptake was so much higher among those in their later 60s and up compared to 40s and 50s: Those in their 40s and 50s into early 60s take the lack of serious diseases for granted because they never had to be vaccinated for them, or else were vaccinated so young that they don't remember.
