BBy Jodie Marler

There are two types of smallpox: Variola Major Variola Minor

 Severe  More common  High fever  More extensive rash  30-35% death rate

 Less common presentation  Less severe disease  Death rates are 1% or less

 Smallpox localizes in small blood vessels in the skin, mouth, and throat.  Starts with a maculopapular (red and raised) rash that changes into raised, fluid filled blisters.

 My grandmother had smallpox in 1925 and survived. She was nine years old.  The only memory she had of having the disease was that she remembered the doctor coming into her house and saying, “This is definitely smallpox…I can smell it”.  The doctor told her not to scratch because it would leave scars. She never scratched and had no scars afterward.  The only medication that was used was vaseline. They spread it all over her body.  She was lucky. Many people died from smallpox.

First symptoms appear days after becoming infected Incubation period is 7-17 days and is not contagious during this time

Following the incubation period, a sudden onset of flu-like signs and symptoms occurs. These include:  Fever  Overall discomfort  Headache  Severe fatigue  Severe back pain  Sometimes vomiting, diarrhea or both

A few days after the first symptoms occur, flat red spots appear first on the face, hands and forearms. Within a day or two, many of the lesions turn into small blisters filled with fluid, that eventually turns to pus. Scabs form in about eight days and fall off leaving deep, pitted scars.

 Smallpox is a virus that has been eradicated  The last known case was in 1978  It has been eradicated because of the vaccine.

 Edward Jenner developed the first immunization using cowpox in 1796  Smallpox vaccine was the first vaccine ever to be developed  WHO initiated its global smallpox eradication campaign in 1967

Smallpox is caused by infection with variola virus, which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus, the family Poxviridae and subfamily chordopoxvirinae. It is a large rectangular virus measuring approximately 350 nm by 270nm. Poxviruses are unique among DNA viruses because they replicate in the cytoplasm of the cell rather than the nucleus.

 Occurs through inhalation of airborne virus  Prolonged face-to- face contact  Direct contact through body fluids  Contaminated objects such as bedding or clothing  Rarely can be transmitted by air in enclosed spaces such as a bus

The only Smallpox viruses in the world are in labs. There is worry of countries using it as a biological weapon. Vaccines are kept “just in case” of an outbreak. If immunized within a few days of being exposed, it can lessen the degree of the disease.

CNN Health Infectious Diseases Aug 10, Retrieved 25 October Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Small Pox October 27, Retrieved 28 October Medline Plus Smallpox, Oct. 10, Retrieved 28 October MayoClinic Smallpox, Aug. 2,2011. Retrieved 25 October