Today smallpox is an eradicated disease. However, fears of the disease still exist.
In 2014 vials of smallpox were discovered in a refrigerator at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland.
There are also fears that smallpox could return as biological weapon used by terrorists
Following eradication only two nations were allowed to keep samples of smallpox. The Centers For Disease control in the United States has samples of the disease.
The Soviet Union and later Russia also retained samples. There are concerns that the Russians developed the virus into a bioweapon at the Vector center.
Eradication of smallpox was proclaimed by the WHO in 1980.
The last case of Variola Major was in 1975 in Bangladesh.
The last case of Variola Minor was in 1977 …show more content…
The first recorded outbreak of the disease is in 1350 B.C. during the Egyptian-Hittite war.
This mummy of the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses V who died in
1145 B.C. shows signs of smallpox infection.
Smallpox is most notable due to the rash the develops with the disease. The rash develops in the mouth and on the tongue first. It then spreads to the face then down the length of the body.
Smallpox is usually spread through face to face contact. It can be spread through contaminated bedding and clothing. The main vector for transmission is humans. It cannot be spread by insects or animals. People can become contagious at the outset of a fever but are most contagious with the onset of a rash. They stay contagious as long as they have scabs.
Smallpox is a viral infection that is highly contagious and has a high mortality rate. It comes in 4 different versions Variola major causes 90 percent of infections and has a mortality rate of 30 percent. Variola minor is rare and has a mortality rate of 1%. Flat and hemorrhagic smallpox is almost usually
In 2014 vials of smallpox were discovered in a refrigerator at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland.
There are also fears that smallpox could return as biological weapon used by terrorists
Following eradication only two nations were allowed to keep samples of smallpox. The Centers For Disease control in the United States has samples of the disease.
The Soviet Union and later Russia also retained samples. There are concerns that the Russians developed the virus into a bioweapon at the Vector center.
Eradication of smallpox was proclaimed by the WHO in 1980.
The last case of Variola Major was in 1975 in Bangladesh.
The last case of Variola Minor was in 1977 …show more content…
The first recorded outbreak of the disease is in 1350 B.C. during the Egyptian-Hittite war.
This mummy of the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses V who died in
1145 B.C. shows signs of smallpox infection.
Smallpox is most notable due to the rash the develops with the disease. The rash develops in the mouth and on the tongue first. It then spreads to the face then down the length of the body.
Smallpox is usually spread through face to face contact. It can be spread through contaminated bedding and clothing. The main vector for transmission is humans. It cannot be spread by insects or animals. People can become contagious at the outset of a fever but are most contagious with the onset of a rash. They stay contagious as long as they have scabs.
Smallpox is a viral infection that is highly contagious and has a high mortality rate. It comes in 4 different versions Variola major causes 90 percent of infections and has a mortality rate of 30 percent. Variola minor is rare and has a mortality rate of 1%. Flat and hemorrhagic smallpox is almost usually