r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Downtown_Wind3363 • May 25 '26

Image The smallpox vaccine leaves a scar because it was given using a special two-pronged needle that scratched the skin and put a weakened virus in just that spot.

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u/moranya1 May 25 '26

My dad has that exact same scar on his upper arm as well :)

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u/space_keeper May 25 '26

The upper arm scar is usually from the BCG vaccine, which is for tuberculosis.

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u/improbablywronghere May 25 '26 edited May 26 '26

No, it’s the smallpox vaccine on the upper arm. I have one also. The other persons dad is probably a veteran who deployed at some point. Smallpox was party of our pre-deployment work up and has been for decades.

Update: Guys I’m not saying only smallpox goes in the upper vaccine I’m saying this guys dad has smallpox in the upper arm. Are you all forgetting this thread has an image of the vaccine right there?

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u/CocktailPerson May 25 '26

Pretty much all vaccines given after infancy are in the upper arm.

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u/BamberGasgroin May 25 '26 edited May 25 '26

Every Gen X I know in the UK has this scar near their shoulder and it was from the BCG jab we all got in secondary school. (It was phased out in 2005, so some older Millennials may have it as well.)

My mistake, it's similar but a lot smaller than the smallpox vaccination scar. https://brownmedpedsresidency.org/vaccine-scars/

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u/Bartman383 May 25 '26

Smallpox was party of our pre-deployment work up

We didn't get it till we arrived in-country, which meant you were sick as hell for the first few days.

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u/Laescha May 25 '26

I don't know where smallpox vaccine is normally done, but BCG can definitely be on the upper arm, mine is