Smallpox

Smallpox is a disease that was successfully eradicated in 1980 after vaccinations were given. It is a contagious disease caused by the variola virus that was spread though all three types of contact transmission, direct, indirect and droplet transmission meaning that it was easily spread throughout communities through contact with infected individuals, bodily fluids or items that have been contaminated (National Geographic, 2017). Once a person becomes infected it can take up to 17 days for them to become symptomatic and during this incubation period they are not contagious (Department of Health, 2017). Further, this disease came in two forms, variola major and variola minor. The most commonly occurring form, variola major was deadly whereas…

Small Pox The Disease Smallpox is a serious, contagious, and sometimes fatal infectious disease. It was one of the world 's most devastating diseases known to humanity. Three of out ten individuals infected with smallpox died. Many survivors have permanent scars, often on their faces, or were left blind. Experts fear bioterrorists could use the virus to spread disease. The pox part of smallpox is derived from the Latin word for “spotted” and refers to the raised bumps that appear on the face and…

If the Natives had been immune to smallpox, I think they would have still been conquered by the Spaniards. The Aztecs and Incas were two empires. The Aztecs were roughly 15 million people in Mexico. They would make sacrifices to their god of war and sun who drank human blood. They also had another god that lived among the Aztecs who had left. He said he would come back in the year of One Reed. When the year of One Reed arrived, Hernan Cortes landed on Aztec land searching for gold, glory, and…

What is smallpox exactly? Smallpox is actually the nickname of the virus, the scientific name is Variola which may appear as V. major or V. minor. Variola virus is relatively stable in the natural environment. If aerosolized, it will retain its infectivity for at least several hours if not exposed to sunlight or ultraviolet light. Since the virus is two hundred and sixty by one hundred fifty nanometers and contains a molecule of double stranded DNA putatively coding for some two hundred…

There’s a long history of smallpox since it has been around for thousands of years. The European settlers first brought smallpox to North America in the 1600s. In 1633-1634, the disease swept through the Northeast, wiping out entire Native American tribes. Native populations in New England are thought to have plummeted by over 70 percent due to this outbreak (Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, 2012). Smallpox is spread when a person breathes it in and out. The virus gets inside the…

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…

necessity The young boy lied on his bed for a few days going through the pain of the flu. His fever was high, he had chills every once and a while. He had constant migraines, and his stomach hurt. He even vomited a couple of times. Just when he started to feel better the dread over took him. It started with his face then it covered the rest of his body, a rash. No one in his family could go near his for long periods of time since he was now very contagious. Two days later the rashes filled…

Smallpox “ The last known case of smallpox was reported in West and Central Africa, since then it has been declared eradicated,”(Foege, Williams Smallpox Eradication in West and Central Africa). Before smallpox was eradicated, smallpox originated from North eastern Africa in 10,000 B.C. according to WHO(World Health Organization) smallpox has killed 300 to 500 million people before eradication.…

What is Smallpox? The Illinois Department of Public Health defines smallpox as a serious, contagious and sometimes deadly disease caused by the Orthopox virus. “Smallpox gets its name from the pus-filled blisters (or pocks) that form during the illness. Although the names may sound alike, smallpox is not related to chickenpox. Chickenpox is a milder disease caused by a different virus” (Dowshen, 2013). The World Health Organization asserts that Smallpox was one of the world's most devastating…

The origin of the smallpox disease is unknown. It is thought to date back to the Egyptian Empire around the 3rd century BC. This assumption was made based on a smallpox-like rash found on three mummies. The earliest findings of any disease that clearly resembled the smallpox disease emerged in the 4th century in China. Early written narratives of the smallpox disease also appeared in India in the 7th century and in Asia Minor in the 10th century (ACIP 2003). The Smallpox disease, which was…