Essay on Cause and Effects of Smallpox

Smallpox is a disease caused by a poxvirus that is caught from person to person that causes high fever, and rash, that can kill about 1/3 of those who caught the disease. Smallpox (also called variola) is the only disease that has been fully cured. Smallpox is also almost one of the most scary deaths ever. Not one documented naturally occurring case of this very infectious, deadly disease hasn't occurred since 1977. (An unvaccinated hospital cook in Somalia was the last person to naturally contract smallpox.) The World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared smallpox eradicated in

What is smallpox? The internet has defined it as an “acute contagious immune disease, with fever and pustules (small bumps on the skin filled with pus) that will usually will leave scars.” Smallpox originated in India and Egypt over 3,000 years ago. After that it slowly started to progress to other areas across the world. It then started to show itself in places like Africa, Europe and then after a few years later, finally made it’s way into the Americas during the 1500’s.

There are many mysteries about the smallpox virus. Since the seventeenth century, doctors have understood that if the pustules merge into sheets across the body the victim will usually die: the virus has split the whole skin. If the victim survives, the pustules turn into scabs and fall off, leaving scars. This is known as ordinary smallpox.

become known as pustules. The rash becomes fully developed between 12 and 14 days after the symptoms of the disease appear. As the disease follows its course, symptoms become more and more severe and uncomfortable for the patient. Red spots on the patient begin to turn black, while others turn white, the individual experiences strong delirium, hemorrhages of blood at the anus, mouth, and nose, raw flesh from the stripping of the skin, and fistulous ulcers in the ligaments, body, limbs, and joints. Smallpox is also associated with the unbelievable amount of swelling and protuberance in the throat and eyes, which obstruct vision as well as the ability to swallow and perform similar functions. The virus also causes the rotting of the ligaments and bones.

Smallpox, also know as variola virus, is extremely contagious and lethal. In modern day it has been eradicated and we no longer vaccinate the human population. Symptoms begin 12-14 days after infection; after 1-2 days spots turn into blisters and then pustules and after 8-9 days these pustules become crusted. If the person survives, large disfiguring scars remain (Merck, 2003).

Smallpox is a viral infection caused by Variola major. This infection is currently one of the most dreaded diseases, and is believed to be more dangerous than the enemy’s sword. The exposure is usually an infection of the respiratory tract. After exposure, early symptoms are: headaches, back aches, fever, vomiting, discomfort, and feeling out of sorts. These symptoms go away usually in two days, and the patient feels better. Then about two days later, the patient has a flustered face, and lesions on the mouth, throat, and nasal membranes. At 5 days past exposure, red rashes and bumps appear on the skin, bleeding through skin, and mucous membranes. If the patients bleeds through their eyes, gums, or nose, the patient will not live much longer, but that is not usually the case. The bumps may touch each other or they may be separate from each other. If the bumps do not touch, the patients has a good chance of surviving. But if the bumps do touch, the patient has a forty percent chance of surviving. Dehydration is common in patients because it may be painful or difficult to drink. Around day ten, the bumps will become soft, and blisters will form. The fluid in the bumps is absorbed because of dehydration. A smell often comes from cracked bumps, and a second bacterial infection may occur due to the openings in the body. Two weeks after initial symptoms, the bumps and blisters are replaced by scabs. One week later the fever disappears, the patient returns to a normal life, and the

Smallpox is extremely dangerous because there is no known cure. Smallpox can spread through the air and physical contact with the pox marks or anything that the pox marks touch. The Variola Virus spread so quickly that it caused over 50 million infections per year. Symptoms of Smallpox include vomiting, chills, fever, rashes, malaise, blisters,

There are a couple symptoms to smallpox, mostly affecting your skin. The first couple of days, it will begin with normal symptoms of a fever. Eventually, there will be body aches, headaches, and you will begin to feel weaker. Small, round blisters appear all around the body. Within a week, the pox becomes filled with pus and gets bigger. Then eventually, the blisters crust and stomach pains will most likely occur. Within the next couple of weeks, the blisters become scabs and they fall off, which result in scars on the skin. You could get scars, blindness and your hands and feet could get deformed. The scars stay on your body.

Despite smallpox’s long history of harm, killing nearly 300 million people in the twentieth century alone, it is now considered eradicated thanks to a vaccine and vaccination program lead by the World Health Organization. Because of its eradication,

In the later stage of smallpox, different symptoms appear. These symptoms include a rash within the mouth of the infected person. The virus

Smallpox is a highly contagious infectious disease. The type of microbe for smallpox is the Variola virus. Smallpox is caused by either the Variola major or the Variola Minor. This virus is spread by direct contact. The disease was likely to be in human populations about 10,000 BC. An epidemic broke out in 1519 with the Aztecs and the Conquistadors in Tenochtitlan Mexico. The epidemic killed a total of twenty five percent of the Aztecs population leaving it easy for Cortes and the conquistadors to take over the desired

Given its rapid and deadly spread, conquers would place an exposed garment within enemy territory and wait. The virus would wipe out entire civilizations in a matter of months. Smallpox spreads rapidly throughout the lymph nodes. The infected person will remain asymptomatic through day 3-4 while the virus works its way through the spleen and bone marrow. This makes for a somewhat anonymous attack. Infection only requires a brief encounter with an exposed person or object. The exposer could appear to be completely healthy. Symptoms do not begin to surface until the 8-12th-day toxemia and fever are occurring. The virus then localizes in the small blood vessels of the dermis. In the earlier years, these symptoms were often confused with other illness. It isn't until approximately day 14, the patient is apparently infectious. The spleen, liver, kidneys, bone marrow and other viscera will contain large amounts of the virus. Lesions on the skin start forming as the capillaries dilate and the endothelial tissues swell. Now, even a lay person can make a visual diagnosis. The plasma cells and macrophages can be seen. The cells increase in size, the cell membranes rupture, leading to vesicular lesions. Migration of polymorphonuclear cells into the vesicles cause postulation. A pustule becomes slowly desiccated causing the crusty/scabby appearance of the lesions. The progression of the disease makes it the perfect weapon. At the point in time that the first infected person is visually diagnosed, they have potentially infected numerous people around them. Causing the deadly virus to almost instantly reach epidemic proportions. In the early days of Smallpox, someone or something had to be the contaminant jeopardizing both civilizations. Today with the conveniences we have such as air travel, running water, and complete mobilization the virus could be easily placed in our society. Given our

“can be spread through direct contact with contaminated objects such as clothing, or through bodily fluids, but it generally not spread through the air. ” (“Smallpox facts ”)

Imagine a quick spreading rash throughout the entire body, leaving not a single space behind; every opening and crevice in your body, including your mouth and eyes covered in painful bumps accompanied by high fever and severe body aches. Flat red spots transforming into fluid-filled lesions and soon oozing out yellow pus, evidently emitting a pungent odor to anyone who dared get close. The live virus present in the darkening crusty scabs that would soon fall off only to leave behind a deep pitted scarred filled complexion on anyone who was fortunate enough to survive. These scars would be forever remembered as the hallmark for the smallpox epidemic which tormented the world for over 3,000 years. (Riedel “Deadly Diseases”).

Smallpox is contagious at the onset of fever, but most contagious when the rashes appear. The infected person will remain contagious until the last scab falls