I kind of know it is some sort of inoculation given when you are a kid. But what exactly is it? Why is it important to do…a lot of Taiwanese have horrific scars from it…some are lucky and only have a small mark. I remember getting shots when I was a kid in the US, but I have never seen these kinds of scars before on people.
I don’t know about the ones here but back home they used to have similar scars after having their TB innoculations (this was a few decades ago though).
It’s a scar from a BCG innoculation. It’s to guard against TB. Most Brits have one too, and they do vary widely in size and severity. The vaccination is routine in the UK, Taiwan and most of Europe, but not in the US.
japanese encephalitis - google and take a look. it’s pretty important. we don’t have it in (most of) the west, so don’t get shots for it. although you may want to consider gettin innoculated if you haven’t already.
EDIT: i’m wrong according to the above, but this is what i was always told (or maybe i didn’t pay enough attention 
)
Yes, innoculation scars. Taiwanese, like many black people, develop keloid scarring:
[quote]Causes of keloid scars
Keloid scars are defined as an abnormal scar that grows beyond the boundary of the original site of a skin injury. It is a raised and ill defined growth of skin in the area of damaged skin. Although anyone can form a keloid scar some ethnic groups are at more risk of developing them.You are 16% more susceptable if you are African-American or Hispanic. Keloid scars are seen 15 times more in highly pigmented ethnic groups rather than Caucasians.[/quote]
However, the real damage maybe hidden. mass innoculations are blamed for the very high incidence of hepatitis in Taiwan. The likelihood of developing hepatic cancer if you have contracted Hep C are like 50%.
You’ve had your girfriend checked, of course?
HG
[quote=“xtrain”]Japanese encephalitis - google and take a look. it’s pretty important. we don’t have it in (most of) the west, so don’t get shots for it. although you may want to consider gettin innoculated if you haven’t already.
EDIT: i could be wrong, but this is what i was always told.[/quote]
Now you’ve got me thinking. It looks like the BCG scar we have in England, same place, administered at the same age and so I assumed it was the same innoculation. But now I’m not sure. 
Could it be that the pistol-thing sometimes used for vaccinations is responsible for the scaring, i.e. more damage is done by that than using a needle?
I had the Japanese Encephalitis vaccines (3 of them in total) and neither of them left me with a scar. I do remember that the first one made me really drowsy but, other than that, no other problems. It’s more likely to be the BCG vaccine. Some people of my mum’s generation have huge scars but modern ones usually only leave a tiny circle…unless you react badly to it, I guess.
When I was vaccinated as a kid I was told not to pick at the scab that forms. I didn’t, and I can barely see the scar now; some classmates of mine developed nasty scars because they kept picking at theirs.
[quote=“Huang Guang Chen”]Yes, innoculation scars. Taiwanese, like many black people, develop keloid scarring:
[quote]Causes of keloid scars
Keloid scars are defined as an abnormal scar that grows beyond the boundary of the original site of a skin injury. It is a raised and ill defined growth of skin in the area of damaged skin. Although anyone can form a keloid scar some ethnic groups are at more risk of developing them.You are 16% more susceptable if you are African-American or Hispanic. Keloid scars are seen 15 times more in highly pigmented ethnic groups rather than Caucasians.[/quote]
However, the real damage maybe hidden. mass innoculations are blamed for the very high incidence of hepatitis in Taiwan. The likelihood of developing hepatic cancer if you have contracted Hep C are like 50%.
You’ve had your girfriend checked, of course?
HG[/quote]
AKAIK, Taiwan no longer has a high hep rate and hasn’t for the last 15 years or so, though the myth persists.
Shhh!!! Don’t tell Derek!
You’re a Canadian? I never noticed that before, I always thought you were a yank.
HG
[quote=“Huang Guang Chen”]Shhh!!! Don’t tell Derek!
You’re a Canadian? I never noticed that before, I always thought you were a yank.
HG[/quote]
Me?
Small pox
[quote]Mucha man:
Me?[/quote]
Yes.
HG
The scar is from the BCG vaccination (TC). It’s not done in central europe anymore.
[quote=“Huang Guang Chen”][quote]Muzha man:
Me?[/quote]
Yes.
[/quote]
Really.
It’s either a cowpox vaccination to vaccinate against smallpox, or the BCG vaccination against TB.
If the person has two scars, then it’s both. If just one, then it’s the BCG vaccination.
The cowpox vaccination stopped in Taiwan in 1979, so people older than 27 usually have two scars on their left arm. Younger than 27, then it’s one BCG scar.
If you ask them though, a lot of young people still seem to think the scar on their left arm was from a vaccination against smallpox(天花). Administering a cowpox vaccination is known as 種牛痘.
While the rate of hepatitis is indeed high in Taiwan, the primary strain that increases chance of liver cancer is hepatitis B, not C. It increases chance of developing liver cancer by about 150 times. Though C can also increase chance of developing liver cancer. I think something like 80-90% of hepatic cancer patients have hep B, while 1-10% have hep C.
Those born before 1984 did not receive hep b vaccinations as a baby.
Being a Swede living in the UK I’ve wondered what the scaring has been about as well, as I had never seen anyone with it before I moved to the UK…
So thanks for the info as I’ve never had a straight answer here about as no-one seems to know exactly what they’ve been vaccinated for…
[quote=“TheLostSwede”]Being a Swede living in the UK I’ve wondered what the scaring has been about as well, as I had never seen anyone with it before I moved to the UK…
So thanks for the info as I’ve never had a straight answer here about as no-one seems to know exactly what they’ve been vaccinated for…[/quote]
There is a scarey thought! 
Reminds me of my days in the US Navy…line em up and shoot em in each arm a couple times with who knows what kind of stuff! Yikes!
I got the scar on my arm in eigth grade. In my gang we settled difficulties by the two parties taking turns to brush a shaving razor past your bare arm. The first one to submit or die is the loser. Needless to say, most things were settled on the down low.