Smallpox Caused by Variola virus

Smallpox Caused by Variola virus. Stormy Fowler CRN: 45840.

What is Smallpox?. Smallpox is an acute contagious disease caused by the variola virus, a member of the Ortho poxvirus family It was one of the most devastating diseases known to humanity and caused millions of deaths before it was eradicated It was contagious, meaning, it spread from one person to another People who had smallpox developed a fever and a distinctive, progressive skin rash Most people with smallpox recovered, but about 3 out of every 10 people with the disease died.

How does smallpox spread?. It was mainly spread by direct and prolonged face-to-face contact between people People spread the virus when they coughed or sneezed and droplets from their nose or mouth spread to other people Smallpox patients became contagious once the first sores appeared in their mouth and throat. They remained contagious until their last smallpox scab fell off. These scabs and the fluid found in the patient’s sores also contained the variola virus. The virus can spread through these materials or through the objects contaminated by them, such as bedding or clothing. People who cared for smallpox patients and washed their bedding or clothing had to wear gloves and take care to not get infected..

Signs and symptoms of smallpox. A person with smallpox goes through several stages as the disease progresses. Each stage has its own signs and symptoms: Incubation - This stage can last from 7 to 19 days; The incubation period is the length of time the virus is in a person’s body before they look or feel sick. During this period, a person usually has no symptoms, may feel fine and are not contagious Initial Symptoms – This stage can last from 2 to 4 days; The first symptoms include high fever, head and body aches, sometimes vomiting. People are usually too sick to carry on their normal activities and are sometimes contagious Early Rash – This sage last aout 4 days; A rash starts as small red spots on the tongue and in the mouth. Then a rash appears on the skin, usually it spreads to all parts of the body within 24 hours. The fever begins to decline, and the person may start to feel better. By the fourth day, the skin sores fill with a thick, opaque fluid and often have a dent in the center. Once the skin sores fill with fluid, the fever may rise again and remain high until scab's form over the bumps. Very contagious.

Signs and Symptoms Continued... 4. Pustular Rash and Scabs – This stage last about 10 days; The sores become pustules (sharply raised, usually round and firm to the touch, like peas under the skin). After about 5 days, the pustules begin to form a crust and then scab. By the end of the second week after the rash appears, most of the sores have scabbed over. Very contagious 5. Scabs fall off – This stage last about 6 days; The scabs begin to fall off, leaving marks on the skin. Three weeks after the rash appears, most scabs will have fallen off. Still Contagious 6. No scabs - Four weeks after the rash appears, all scabs should have fallen off. Once all scabs have fallen off, the person is no longer contagious. No longer contagious..

Treatment and prevention. Smallpox can be prevented by smallpox vaccines, also called vaccinia virus vaccines. The vaccines are made from a virus called vaccinia, which is a poxvirus similar to smallpox, but less harmful. There are vaccines to protect people from smallpox. Currently, smallpox vaccines are not recommended for the general public because smallpox has been eradicated. If there were a smallpox outbreak, health officials would use smallpox vaccines to control it. While some antiviral drugs may help treat smallpox disease, there is no treatment for smallpox that has been tested in people who are sick with the disease and proven effective..

Smallpox Vaccines. There are two licensed smallpox vaccines in the United States and one investigational vaccine that may be used in a smallpox emergency. Once you have developed the smallpox rash, the vaccine will not protect you The replication-competent smallpox vaccines (ACAM2000 and APSV) can protect people from getting sick or make the disease less severe if they receive the vaccine either before or within a week of coming in contact with smallpox virus. If you get the vaccine: - Before contact with the virus, the vaccine can protect you from getting sick. - Within 3 days of being exposed to the virus, the vaccine might protect you from getting the disease. If you still get the disease, you might get much less sick than an unvaccinated person would - Within 4 to 7 days of being exposed to the virus, the vaccine likely gives you some protection from the disease. If you still get the disease, you might not get as sick as an unvaccinated person would..

Eradication of smallpox. Smallpox began causing illness and death more than a thousand years ago. Key components of the worldwide smallpox eradication effort included universal childhood immunization programmed in some countries, mass vaccination in others, and targeted surveillance-containment strategies during the end-game. Thanks to the success of vaccination, the last natural outbreak of smallpox in the United States occurred in 1949. Currently, smallpox vaccines are not available to the general public because smallpox has been eradicated, and the virus no longer exists in nature. However, there is enough smallpox vaccine to vaccinate every person in the United States if a smallpox outbreak were to occur After a global eradication campaign that lasted more than 20 years, the 33rd World Health Assembly declares the world free of smallpox in 1980..