Smallpox

=**Smallpox**= =**Description of virus that causes the disease.**=

**Viral Specificity:**
- Caused by the Variola virus. - A viral disease unique to humans. - Smallpox localizes in small blood vessels of the skin, mouth and throat. - The Variola virus is a brick shaped virus that is up to 350 nanometers long and up to 270 nanometers wide. - Attacks skin cells.

[[image:smallpox_yellow.jpg width="250" height="219"]]
Variola virus.

**Symptoms and progression of the disease:**
- Symptoms first visible 7 - 17 days after infection. - Initial symptoms include: fever, body aches, headaches, chills, and backache. - After 48-72 hours of initial symptoms, a rash appears and turns into virus filled sosres which later scab over. - Just after rash appears, the virus is highly contageous as it movies into the mucous membranes.

[[image:smallpox-symptoms-cdc3.jpg width="346" height="284"]]
Variola filled sores of infected.

**Common Methods of Transmission:**
- Variola is aquired through the lungs. - Commonly transmitted by breathing on othe people. - Variola can stay active on surfaces for up to one week. - Variola starts in the lungs, from there it enters the bloodstream and is spread all over the body. - Infected person can be infectious for up to 3 weeks.

**Treatment and Prevention:**
- Current prevention is vaccination by the use of infectious vaccinia virus. - Treatment is also done with vaccination, if done up to 3 days after exposure, it will negate or greatly reduce symptoms and suffering of the disease. - Variola virus is thought to have originated in Asia between 400 and 1600 years ago. - Unmistakable descriptions of smallpox first appeared in the 4th century AD in China and the 7th century in India. - In Japan, the epidemic of 735-737 is believed to have killed as much as one-third of the population. - Smallpox is now irradicated.
 * Miscellaneous:**

**Resources accessed:**
[|www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallpox] [|www.emedicinehealth.com/smallpox/article_em.htm]