Research Paper On Small Pox

Chapter four of Viruses, Plagues, and History, entitled Smallpox, provided a broad spectrum of information about smallpox as well as exploring its potential to return and once again cause death and devastation. I found this chapter to be especially terrifying because of the stress put on the fact that smallpox could be weaponized by bioterrorists. All of the information about smallpox itself as well as its history as a virus and a weapon really scared me because it could cause so much devastation.

During the 19th and 20th centuries, a now eradicated disease called smallpox killed an estimated 300-500 million people. This life-threatening disease is marked by a rash of blisters filled with a thick, opaque fluid that cover the face, arms and legs (see Figure 1). Many of those who managed to survive smallpox were left with permanent complications such as scars, blindness, and in some instances, limb deformities. Occurrences of smallpox are believed to go as far back as 10,000 BC. One of the earliest examples of the disease is the pustular rash found on the mummified body of Pharaoh Ramses V of Egypt who died in 1157 BC.

Smallpox was once one of the most severe infectious diseases that was endemic throughout the world for most of the recorded history. It is caused by variola virus (a DNA virus and a member of the Poxviridae family), and characterized by three phases: incubation, prodrome and rash. This disease killed and disfigured innumerable millions of people globally.

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.

A smallpox outbreak could be devastating to the population without proper precautions. There were also a few cases of smallpox outbreaks due to a patient being misdiagnosed. For example, Colette Flight states, "Muzza had been misdiagnosed as suffering from a bad reaction to penicillin". Colette also states, "Janet Parker was infected with smallpox, but was initially diagnosed as a drug rash". We can learn from history that smallpox does spread easily.

Until its eradication, smallpox was a disease that had been ravaging the human race for a very long time. It emerged as

Smallpox comes from variola major virus. It is transmitted through inhalation by droplet infection (contact with contagious body fluids). Individuals can also become infected through direct contact with contaminated clothing or bedding. There are two types of smallpox. The Variola virus; major and minor. The more deadly form of the virus, Variola major, generally killed up to twenty five percent of the people infected and accounted for over ninety percent of all cases (Sherman, 2007). Populations that had never been exposed to the virus would however have fatality rates that would exceed fifty percent. The Variola minor pathogen had a rate of death that was much lower. At two percent it was more common in Europe in the17th century before the deadlier pathogen of the virus was reintroduced. It then became a common and

Smallpox is a contagious deadly disease that can easily be transferred from one person to another either by face-to-face contact or direct contact with bodily fluids such as sweat and saliva from someone who’s infected such as sneezing, coughing, or skin touching. They can also spread from being in contact with contaminated objects as well. Those who are infected usually doesn’t know they are infected until 7-17 days later when they start developing flu like symptoms such as a high fever beyond 101 Fahrenheit, fatigue, headache, and backache. The only way for doctors to diagnose this disease is by checking its main and most common feature. The appearance of smallpox are pus-filled blisters that forms on the skin during illness and the number of those blisters increases over time as shown in the picture below, and eventually they becomes scabs. The person will continuously remain infectious and contagious until the last remaining scab separates from the body.

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 a virus that was first founded in ancient times. The virus?s proper name is Variola rex, and it has various different forms as well as various symptoms. Among these forms are typical smallpox, hemorrhagic smallpox, and malignant smallpox, all of which usually always cause death in their victims. Some of the typical symptoms of smallpox include red vesicles and pustules all over, bleeding from all orifices of the body, swelling in the face, throat, and eyes, difficulty eating and swallowing, delirium, malaise, deterioration of the bone marrow, lymph nodes and mucus membranes of the body, and a multitude of other secondary symptoms. Smallpox is typically diagnosed by ruling out the possibility of other

The brutal symptoms of smallpox reveal why the disease is known as one one of the deadliest in history. Smallpox slowly deteriorates the victim in distinct symptom stages. Symptoms begin to display after approximately ten days since the victim was exposed to the Variola virus. Suddenly, the victim will feel flu-like symptoms including headache, fever, overall discomfort, severe back pain, vomiting, and severe fatigue (“Smallpox.”). Brutal symptoms such as these, unfortunately, are only the beginning for a terrible disease such as smallpox. Next, symptoms become much more visible. After a day or two the forearms, face, and hands will develop flat, red spots. Red spots will eventually develop into small to moderate blisters which are

Smallpox is an extremely deadly disease which, in one point in time, was the most feared disease on the planet. In the book Pox Americana, Elizabeth A. Fenn writes about the encounter with the deadly disease in the 1770's to the 1780's. Her book was first published in 2001 in New York City, where she originally wrote it. Her book contains just under 400 words that explain the disease, some of the first encounters with it, who and where it affected people, and how they got the epidemic under control. Pox Americana is a very informative book that teaches the reader various things.

One of the major health event happen in the 1800s is when Edward Jenner, a english doctor create vaccination to cure smallpox. Edward jenner was born in may 17 1749 and died on january 26 1823 at the age of 74 from a massive stroke. He have safe many life. Smallpox is a contagious viral disease. It cause fever and left scar. Before smallpox is being cure over 400,000 unlucky people die each year from it. SmallPox have been all over the place in the old days. It was first being seen in china in the 4th century.It being said that every 3 out of 10 people died from it and who ever survive will have scar left on them. He thought of the idea when he know a dairymaid who said “i shall never have smallpox for i have had cowpox. I shall never