SMALLPOX! (Disease Assignment) by Nicole Smith

SMALLPOX

Prevention-Vaccination

Signs and Symptoms

Overview of Disease

Vaccines were used to eradicate smallpox in the 1970s. People worldwide were inoculated to prevent smallpox from spreading. Although vaccines were first used as early as the 1750s.

The smallpox vaccine used live disease, so it was very effective. The downfall of using live diseases, however, was that the risks were high, and in today's culture they actually outweigh the advantages. The disease could affect the heart or even the brain; people died from the vaccine itself.

It is no longer required to vaccinate as smallpox has been eradicated.

Method of Killing

Smallpox:

• contagious
• disfigures the body
• often fatal
• affected humans for 1000s of years
• will leave visible, deep scarring on the body
• has been eradicated
• from the same family as cowpox, monkeypox, and chickenpox
• affects the skins cells, spleen, lymph nodes, bone marrow, and respiratory system
• worst affects in pregnant women and people with impaired immune systems
• leaves survivors with pock-marked skin and deep scars
• has affected billions of people for thousands of years: in the 20th century alone it affected 300-500 million people

For the first week-2 weeks during incubation, the infected person will looks healthy and isn't contagious.

After 12-14 days, smallpox symptoms develop, including

• Fever
• Discomfort
• Headaches
• Severe Fatigue
• Severe Back Pain
• Vomiting

After a few days:

• Flat red spots appear on face, hands, forearms, and later, the body. These spots fill with clear fluid that eventually becomes puss.
• Blisters form in the nose and mouth.

Smallpox was once a deadly disease that affected many. It was deadly because it often spread through contaminated air. Smallpox had an incubation time of 7-17 days. For most people it lasted 12-14 days. After incubation, symptoms quickly developed along with painful puss-filled blisters. It could take 3-4 weeks for all the blisters to fall off.

During infection, people could experience clotting, dehydration, and swelling of the throat (causing suffocating). 30% of people would die in the first 2 weeks after developing symptoms. If they survived, however, they would not usually have any long term health affects. Occasionally, people can develop blindness as a result of smallpox.

Causes

History of Disease

The first known incident of smallpox was in ancient Egypt, in approximately 1350 BC. It was spread throughout the world by the Egyptian merchants, the Crusaders, and the Spanish and Portugese conquests. For many years, it was unchecked and killed many. The first cure was in 1022, when a Chinese female monk ground up scabs from smallpox survivors and blew them into healthy people's noses. This technique was called variolation and it actually protected the receiver from getting smallpox. In the next 100s of years many people would still get smallpox, including Elizabeth I, the queen of England!

Prevention-Exposure

Smallpox is caused by the Variola Virus.

There are number of ways that smallpox is spread:

• Person-Person: with long face to face contact. During close contact, air and saliva droplets can fly from one person to the other through coughing, sneezing, and talking.
• Indirectly: in a building, for example an office complex, contaminated air can be shared through ventilation systems. Many people are affected in a large area.
• Contaminated Items: if a person has been ill, puss from their sores will be on their bedding, clothing, and other personal items. If a person is in contact with puss or scab filled objects, they can develop smallpox.
• Biological Warfare: if a terrorist gained access to large amounts of smallpox virus, they could use it to commit mass murder.

To prevent the spread of smallpox, anyone who was contagious would be kept in isolation until all their scabs had fallen off. This would reduce the risk of anyone else getting it. However, if the person lived through smallpox or someone was exposed to it and didn't become infected, they would never get smallpox again.

King Ramses V-scientist believe he has smallpox scars on his face.

Treatment and Cure

History of Disease

Queen Elizabeth disguised her scars using thick white makeup that was formulated from lead and vinegar!

There is no known cure for smallpox.

If someone developed smallpox today, they'd be:

• kept in isolation
• made comfortable (through relief of symptoms)
• well hydrated

If the person also had a bacterial infection in their lungs or skin, they might be given antibiotics.

The technique of variolation gradually evolved into putting puss within a healthy person using scratches on the arm. 3% of people died from this procedure. Finally, in the 1700s, we got our modern day solution. Edward Jenner used cowpox, which is much less dangerous, as a vaccination. A young boy named James Phipps was infected with cowpox and survived. After recovery, he was exposed to smallpox and did not develop any symptoms! Vaccines were used as a preventative measure until smallpox was eradicated in 1979. The last case in the US was actually much earlier- in 1949.

The Last Person in the World to have smallpox: Ali Maow Maalin-age 23, who lives in Merka, Somalia

Edward Jenner infecting James Phipps to test his theory of vaccination