Definition

Smallpox is a contagious disease, disfiguring and often deadly hit people for thousands of years. Naturally occurring smallpox eradicated in 1980 world was – the result of an unprecedented global Implementation.Aktien smallpox virus were kept for research purposes. This led to consider that smallpox could be used as a biological warfare agent.There is no treatment or cure for smallpox. A vaccine can prevent smallpox, but the risk of side effects from the vaccine is too high to justify the routine vaccination for persons of low risk of exposure by pox viruses currently.
Smallpox is a deadly disease and on the list of potential biological weapons, the apply represent the biggest threat to public health. Substances on this list contain, anthrax,smallpox, plague, botulism, tularemia, and viral haemor rhagic fevers, including Ebola and Marburg viruses.

Symptoms

The first symptoms of smallpox are usually 12 to 14 days after your computer has been infected. During the incubation period of seven to 17 days look and feel healthy, and can infect not other people.
After the incubation period, he all of a sudden onset is flu-like symptoms. These include:

• Fever
• General complaints
• Head pain
• Severe fatigue
• Back pain
• Sometimes vomiting, diarrhea or both

A few days later, flat, red spots on the face, hands and forearms, appear and later, her master. Within a day or two, many of these lesions are small blisters with clear fluid,which then turns into pus filled. Begin to form scabs eight to nine days later and finally fall, deep, so that pitted scars.The rash is usually strongest in the palms of the hand sand the soles of the feet. Develop also lesions in the mucous membranes of the nose and mouth and quickly turn into the wounds that break, the spread of the virus in their saliva.

What are the causes of smallpox?

Variola (Poxviridiae family of viruses) is caused by a smallpox virus called smallpox.Smallpox are a relatively large viruses contain double-stranded DNA. You can find the virus in large numbers in the various organs (skin, kidneys, spleen, liver, and other organs). Death occurs because of overwhelming blood poisoning, probably by immune complexes, which are attempting to respond to the large number of viral particles.Smallpox infection occurs only in humans, which was useful, the eradication of the disease. There are two minor called variola major and variola strains or (also known as Alastrim). As implied by the name variola major is more likely to cause serious illness and death as the variola minor.

How is smallpox spread?

The majority of smallpox transmission is directly from person to person. Large infectious droplets of saliva are expelled during coughing or sneezing and inhaled then accidentally by another person. This usually requires personal contact and is similar to the flu, measles, and mumps are distributed. A single person could infect on average approximately 60% of your contacts. Infected objects, how to use silverware or heavily soiled bedding, a sufficient number of organisms can someone else to infect if wrongly treated, though this route of transmission is much less common. Complications is wearing.

Most people who receive smallpox survive. However, there are some rare varieties ofsmallpox, which are almost always fatal. These severe forms of smallpox more influenceImmunsystem.Menschen often pregnant women and people with disabilities, torecover from smallpox typically have severe scarring, especially on the face, arms andlegs. In some cases, blindness can cause smallpox.

Tests and diagnosis

Not a single confirmed case of smallpox would be considered an international healthemergency. The Centers for disease control and prevention (CDC) can use to the ultimate test, a tissue sample removed one of the lesions on the skin of the infected person.

What is the treatment of smallpox?

Treatment of smallpox is cheap, which means that the patient is to keep hydrated, thefever should be treated with acetaminophen (Tylenol) or a similar medication and thepatient should follow to determine whether demand for support of blood pressure.Although there are some medications that have been proven against human infection,certain drugs have shown promise in the laboratory, including a derivative of the anti viral cidofovir (Vistide).

How is smallpox diagnosed?

When smallpox was common, an experienced doctor can make a diagnosis, just on thebasis of the eruption and examine the patients. Each event that happens now will bethe result of bioterrorism or biological warfare. In this case, a misdiagnosis or delays indiagnosis that spread infection may result. Therefore, it is important for clinicians to beable to diagnose smallpox. The CDC has developed help doctors, an online tool toevaluate the probability that is an outbreak of smallpox.
If smallpox appears possible, health authorities should be notified immediately andcarefully followed your instructions about the measures of protection for doctors andother caregivers. You can help to determine whether additional testing is warranted.Material of the blistering, throat swab and blood samples tested on the presence ofDNA of smallpox or cultivated can be. This testing is carried out at the CDC and priorapproval required. (S) receive copies must a current smallpox vaccine (within threeyears) or no contraindication to immediate vaccination.

Smallpox be can prevented with a vaccine?

There is an effective vaccine for the prevention of smallpox. The vaccine is made from avirus called “Vaccinia”. The similarity between these two names (vaccine and Vaccinia) is no coincidence because smallpox the first disease, which prevented by vaccination. In the year 2007 was licensed a vaccine against smallpox of the second generation (ACAM2000). The vaccine contains live Vaccinia Virus, but contains no viruses on theleaves. There is no shot and is managed in a unique way: a sharp piece of metal isdipped in shed, vaccine and then used to pierce the skin of the receiver. This happensseveral times. Succeeds, is the site of the vaccination small blisters develop, the scaband heal, so a scar. This process is as RIP may refer to. While the bubbles are active,must the site clean, dry and maintained to prevent covered the Vaccinia virus spread to the other.