Folks of a certain vintage have the tell-tale crater on their upper arms: The discolored, shallow scars from the smallpox vaccine.
This ceased being a rite of passage in 1972, when the disease was eradicated from the U.S. The smallpox vaccine was also protective against monkeypox, though, and the question now arises: Do folks who got a smallpox vaccine — largely Baby Boomers more than 50 years ago — still have some protection against the latest scourge?
How lovely that would be! And those prone to confirmation bias might find some evidence to bolster that hope: In California, more than 90% of cases have been in people younger than 55.
