The Demon in the Freezer Essays

According to The Ten Plagues, the people died in heaps, more closely to bedbugs. Smallpox is a deadly viral infection that killed millions of people every year. Symptoms of smallpox are Fevers, Vomiting and mouth sores. Later on while having it you’ll receive fluid blisters.

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

Smallpox is formally known as the Variola virus. Smallpox is a viral infection creating pustules that more than likely will leave scars. This infectious disease creates high fevers and major fatigue in individuals. Smallpox is another disease that reflects the primary goal of vaccinations, eradication. As of today, research has shown that smallpox is the only disease that has been completely eradicated due to vaccinations. With this being said, the allowance of discontinuation of routine immunizations has been set in place. Children who receive these vaccinations only receive one dosage of the vaccination to prevent smallpox. Unlike many other diseases, children receive one to two, maybe even three doses to prevent a certain disease ("Disease Eradication"). The last case of smallpox in the United States was last reported in 1948 and the last case of smallpox in the world was last reported in 1948, in Somalia ("Smallpox Disease

In the book, The Demon in the Freezer, there were numerous characters that participated in the given research for smallpox. Throughout the plot, I found Lisa Hensley to be the best character in connection with public health. Lisa Hensley was young, intelligent, and determined in her career. During her educational years, Lisa successfully gained two master’s degrees in public health and a Ph.D. in epidemiology and microbiology (Preston, 2002). Lisa comes from an educational background and everything she aimed to achieve within public health, epidemiology, and microbiology constantly amazed her. Upon completing graduate school and accepting the position with USAMRIID; her official title was a civilian scientist with phenomenal knowledge in areas that USAMRIID could benefit from (Preston, 2008). Lisa had a passion for being in the lab at all hours and working on her given scientific research. It is what made her feel good and allows her to feel accomplished after all the years of hard work put into her public health background. One of Lisa’s first assignments at USAMRIID was conducting “research on SHF, a level 3 virus that is harmless to humans but is devastating to monkeys” (Preston, 2008, p. 113). Scientists and researchers tend to experiment on animals similar to humans; such as, monkeys and mice. This typically helps scientists evaluate what procedures, screenings, and treatment would be available if there was to be an outbreak at any given time.

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.

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 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

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,

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.

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

Smallpox had a very large timeline that affected many. First, smallpox was present in the Egyptian Empire, in a written description the virus clearly resembled smallpox, Later in about the 6th century increased trade with China and Korea introduced smallpox to Japan. Then, smallpox was widespread into India. Arab expansion then spreads smallpox to Africa, Spain, and Portugal. Last, The virus spreads everywhere. From travelers, people trading and, even just being in the same room of someone else who was infected. One more thing is, George

The only way to contact Smallpox would be thru fluid like contact with a already diseased victim.The symptoms would start off with more likely as a common cold therefore giving the disease more time to come in contact with other sources. Symptoms start off with flu-like symptoms then it moves toward your facial

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”).

At the time smallpox was the most feared disease and killed up to 33% of the people that came contact with the disease. Smallpox is caused by the virus variola. It enters the body through the lungs and is carried in the blood to the internal organs, which