What is smallpox? How does it spread? What are the symptoms and treatment options? Discover the answers to these critical questions and more in this comprehensive guide.

Understanding Smallpox: A Deadly and Contagious Disease

Smallpox is a serious and life-threatening illness caused by the variola virus. This highly contagious disease was once a major global health concern, leading to the deaths of millions of people worldwide. Characterized by the development of pus-filled blisters (pustules) on the skin, smallpox was a significant scourge throughout history until it was declared eradicated in 1980 by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Rise and Fall of Smallpox

Before its eradication, smallpox was a widespread and deadly disease. Millions of people fell victim to it each year, with up to 30% of those infected ultimately succumbing to the illness. The disease spread rapidly, with secondary attacks affecting up to 80% of household contacts. Survivors often faced long-term complications, such as blindness and severe scarring.

The fight against smallpox was a long and arduous one, but the worldwide efforts led by the WHO in the 1960s finally paid off. By the late 1970s, the disease had been wiped out, and no confirmed cases have been reported since then.

Potential Resurgence: The Ongoing Threat of Smallpox

Despite the eradication of smallpox, the threat of its return remains a concern for public health officials. Samples of the variola virus, the causative agent of smallpox, are still securely stored at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta and the State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology (VECTOR Institute) in Russia.

While there have been no immediate threats of terrorist groups using smallpox as a weapon, scientists and public health experts remain vigilant. The CDC has taken precautionary measures, stockpiling enough smallpox vaccine to protect the entire population of the United States should the virus resurface.

Symptoms and Stages of Smallpox

Smallpox symptoms do not appear immediately after exposure to the variola virus. Instead, there is an incubation period of approximately 7 to 14 days before the first symptoms manifest.

The most common form of smallpox, known as “ordinary smallpox,” accounts for around 90% of cases. The stages of this form of the disease are as follows:

Initial Symptoms

During the first three days, the infected individual typically experiences high fever, muscle aches, backaches, headaches, and vomiting.

Early Rash

After the initial symptoms, a body-wide rash appears. The rash first develops on the tongue and inside the mouth and throat, with red spots becoming sores that break open. The rash then spreads to the face, arms, legs, back, and torso, with bumps on the skin filling with pus (thick fluid).

Pustular Rash and Scabs

Over the next 10 days, the bumps turn into pustules (firm, round lumps). Crusty scabs eventually form over the pustules, and about a week later, these scabs begin to fall off. The infected individual remains contagious until the last scab has fallen off, typically around three weeks after the initial onset of symptoms.

Transmission and Causes of Smallpox

Smallpox is caused by the variola virus and was primarily spread through direct, prolonged face-to-face contact with infected individuals. When an infected person sneezed or coughed, they would release respiratory particles into the air, which could then be inhaled by others, leading to infection.

Less commonly, people could also become infected by direct contact with the rash or crust material from an infected individual. Sharing personal items, such as sheets, towels, and clothing, was another potential mode of transmission.

Preventing and Treating Smallpox

Prior to its eradication, the smallpox vaccine was the primary means of protection against the disease. While vaccination is no longer recommended for the general public due to concerns about side effects, the CDC has maintained a stockpile of the vaccine to be used in the event of a potential outbreak.

In the past, treatment for smallpox was largely supportive, focusing on managing the symptoms and complications. With the disease now eradicated, research efforts have shifted to developing new treatments and strategies to address the potential resurgence of smallpox, should it ever occur.

Vigilance and Preparedness: Safeguarding against Smallpox

The eradication of smallpox is a remarkable public health achievement, but the potential for its return remains a concern. As long as samples of the variola virus are securely stored, the threat of smallpox resurfacing, whether through natural means or as a result of bioterrorism, cannot be entirely eliminated.

Public health officials and the scientific community continue to monitor the situation, maintain stockpiles of vaccines, and develop strategies to respond to a potential outbreak. While the risk may be low, the consequences of a smallpox resurgence would be devastating, necessitating ongoing vigilance and preparedness.

Symptoms, How Spread, Cause, Vaccine

Overview

What is smallpox?

Smallpoxis a serious, life-threatening illness causes by variola virus. It causes pus-filled blisters (pustules) to develop on the skin. In 1980, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that smallpox had been eradicated (wiped out).. Since the late 1970s, there haven’t been any confirmed cases of smallpox.

Before being eradicated, millions of people died from this highly contagious disease. A vaccine can provide protection against smallpox, but vaccinating the general public is not recommended because of concerns about the vaccine’s side effects.

How common is smallpox?

There haven’t been any confirmed cases of smallpox since it was wiped out. Before that, smallpox was a life-threatening disease. Millions of people got smallpox every year. Up to 30% of people died of their illness. Death was due to systemic shock (body-wide infection) and toximemia (toxins in the blood). Smallpox is very contagious disease, with secondary attacks affecting up to 80% of house hold contacts. Often, people who survived the disease had long-term problems, such as blindness and severe scarring.

Researchers believe that the disease first appeared in the third century. For thousands of years, smallpox spread throughout the world. In the 1960s, the WHO led a worldwide effort to eliminate smallpox.

Could smallpox come back?

Scientists saved some samples of the variola virus (the virus that causes smallpox) so they could continue to research vaccines and treatments. Only two locations in the world have these virus samples. They’re secured at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta and the State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology (VECTOR Institute) in Russia.

Since smallpox no longer occurs naturally, public health officials are only concerned about it spreading as a result of biological warfare. There hasn’t been any immediate threat of terrorists using smallpox as a weapon. But scientists are prepared to respond if someone weaponized smallpox. The CDC has created enough smallpox vaccine to protect everyone in the United States if the virus does resurface.

Symptoms and Causes

What are the symptoms of smallpox?

Smallpox symptoms don’t appear right away. A person may not look or feel sick for about 7 to 14 days after exposure to the variola virus. This time is called the incubation period. At the end of the incubation period, the first symptoms appear.

Smallpox can present as four clinical types. Most common form — known as ordinary smallpox — occurs in 90% of the cases. Other types include flat smallpox, hemorrhagic smallpox and vaccine-modified smallpox.

Stages of the most common form of smallpox are as follows:

Initial symptoms: This stage lasts about three days. Symptoms include high fever, muscle aches, backaches, headaches and vomiting.

Early rash: After the initial symptoms, a body-wide rash appears. The person is most contagious during this stage. The virus can spread easily through talking, sneezing or coughing. During the early rash stage:

1. A rash develops on the tongue and inside the mouth and throat. Red spots in the mouth become sores, which break open.
2. The rash spreads to the face and then the arms, legs, back and torso. The rash takes about a day to spread all over the body including palms and soles.
3. Bumps on the skin fill with pus (thick fluid). There may be a dent in the middle of each bump. It takes about two days for the bumps to fill with fluid.

Pustular rash and scabs: Bumps turn into pustules (firm, round lumps). Over the next 10 days, crusty scabs form over the pustules. About a week later, scabs start to fall off.

The scabs typically fall off in about three weeks. When they fall off, they leave scars. A person with smallpox is contagious until the last scab has fallen off.

What causes smallpox? How does it spread?

The variola virus causes smallpox. In the past, people spread smallpox most commonly through direct, prolonged face-to-face contact with others. When they sneezed or coughed, they would send respiratory particles through the air. When other people inhaled these large droplets, they would become infected. Less commonly, people become infected by direct contact with the rash or crust material from a swab.

People also spread the virus to each other by sharing sheets, towels and clothing. The disease is most contagious when sores first appear in the throat and mouth. But a person with smallpox is contagious for several weeks after the first sores develop.

Diagnosis and Tests

How is smallpox diagnosed?

Since smallpox no longer occurs naturally, a smallpox diagnosis today is very unlikely. Any symptoms are probably signs of another condition or illness. Before eradication, smallpox was easy to recognize, but few other common illnesses — such as severe chickenpox — was misdiagnosed as smallpox.

Management and Treatment

Can smallpox be treated with medication?

There is no cure for smallpox. Researchers believe some antiviral drugs may make the illness less severe. But providers aren’t sure how effective these treatments would be. They haven’t used the drugs to treat smallpox in the past.

Prevention

What’s the status of a vaccine to prevent smallpox, if it ever reemerged?

Although vaccines can protect people from smallpox, they aren’t available to the general public. Only people who work in a lab with the variola virus (and similar viruses) should get the vaccine. The vaccine is generally safe. But it has caused severe side effects and complications, such as heart problems and even death.

Since there haven’t been any cases of smallpox since the late 1970s, healthcare providers do not believe the risks of side effects are worth vaccinating everyone. If a smallpox outbreak occurred, the CDC has enough vaccine to give everyone in the United States the smallpox vaccine.

Outlook / Prognosis

What is the outlook for people with smallpox?

Before 1980, around 30% of people with smallpox died from the disease. Most people who survived smallpox had severe scarring after scabs from the blisters fell off. Smallpox also caused blindness when ulcers formed on the eyes.

If someone got smallpox today, antiviral drugs would likely decrease the severity of the illness. But since researchers developed these drugs after smallpox was wiped out, they’ve never used them to treat a person with smallpox. Still, international health authorities are prepared to respond quickly to keep people safe if smallpox ever comes back.

Living With

If I develop a rash, is there any chance it’s smallpox?

It is extremely unlikely that anyone would have smallpox today. Your symptoms are probably due to another condition or disease. Certainly make an appointment with your healthcare provider if you develop a rash.

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Small pox had been eradicated decades ago. You don’t need to be concerned about getting this disease from others. Though very unlikely, a bioterrorist attack involving smallpox could expose people to the virus. But the CDC, along with local and state health departments, has been preparing for this type of emergency for years. These organizations have enough smallpox vaccine to protect everyone in the U.S. in the unlikely event that smallpox reemerges.

Symptoms, How Spread, Cause, Vaccine

Overview

What is smallpox?

Smallpoxis a serious, life-threatening illness causes by variola virus. It causes pus-filled blisters (pustules) to develop on the skin. In 1980, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that smallpox had been eradicated (wiped out).. Since the late 1970s, there haven’t been any confirmed cases of smallpox.

Before being eradicated, millions of people died from this highly contagious disease. A vaccine can provide protection against smallpox, but vaccinating the general public is not recommended because of concerns about the vaccine’s side effects.

How common is smallpox?

There haven’t been any confirmed cases of smallpox since it was wiped out. Before that, smallpox was a life-threatening disease. Millions of people got smallpox every year. Up to 30% of people died of their illness. Death was due to systemic shock (body-wide infection) and toximemia (toxins in the blood). Smallpox is very contagious disease, with secondary attacks affecting up to 80% of house hold contacts. Often, people who survived the disease had long-term problems, such as blindness and severe scarring.

Researchers believe that the disease first appeared in the third century. For thousands of years, smallpox spread throughout the world. In the 1960s, the WHO led a worldwide effort to eliminate smallpox.

Could smallpox come back?

Scientists saved some samples of the variola virus (the virus that causes smallpox) so they could continue to research vaccines and treatments. Only two locations in the world have these virus samples. They’re secured at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta and the State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology (VECTOR Institute) in Russia.

Since smallpox no longer occurs naturally, public health officials are only concerned about it spreading as a result of biological warfare. There hasn’t been any immediate threat of terrorists using smallpox as a weapon. But scientists are prepared to respond if someone weaponized smallpox. The CDC has created enough smallpox vaccine to protect everyone in the United States if the virus does resurface.

Symptoms and Causes

What are the symptoms of smallpox?

Smallpox symptoms don’t appear right away. A person may not look or feel sick for about 7 to 14 days after exposure to the variola virus. This time is called the incubation period. At the end of the incubation period, the first symptoms appear.

Smallpox can present as four clinical types. Most common form — known as ordinary smallpox — occurs in 90% of the cases. Other types include flat smallpox, hemorrhagic smallpox and vaccine-modified smallpox.

Stages of the most common form of smallpox are as follows:

Initial symptoms: This stage lasts about three days. Symptoms include high fever, muscle aches, backaches, headaches and vomiting.

Early rash: After the initial symptoms, a body-wide rash appears. The person is most contagious during this stage. The virus can spread easily through talking, sneezing or coughing. During the early rash stage:

1. A rash develops on the tongue and inside the mouth and throat. Red spots in the mouth become sores, which break open.
2. The rash spreads to the face and then the arms, legs, back and torso. The rash takes about a day to spread all over the body including palms and soles.
3. Bumps on the skin fill with pus (thick fluid). There may be a dent in the middle of each bump. It takes about two days for the bumps to fill with fluid.

Pustular rash and scabs: Bumps turn into pustules (firm, round lumps). Over the next 10 days, crusty scabs form over the pustules. About a week later, scabs start to fall off.

The scabs typically fall off in about three weeks. When they fall off, they leave scars. A person with smallpox is contagious until the last scab has fallen off.

What causes smallpox? How does it spread?

The variola virus causes smallpox. In the past, people spread smallpox most commonly through direct, prolonged face-to-face contact with others. When they sneezed or coughed, they would send respiratory particles through the air. When other people inhaled these large droplets, they would become infected. Less commonly, people become infected by direct contact with the rash or crust material from a swab.

People also spread the virus to each other by sharing sheets, towels and clothing. The disease is most contagious when sores first appear in the throat and mouth. But a person with smallpox is contagious for several weeks after the first sores develop.

Diagnosis and Tests

How is smallpox diagnosed?

Since smallpox no longer occurs naturally, a smallpox diagnosis today is very unlikely. Any symptoms are probably signs of another condition or illness. Before eradication, smallpox was easy to recognize, but few other common illnesses — such as severe chickenpox — was misdiagnosed as smallpox.

Management and Treatment

Can smallpox be treated with medication?

There is no cure for smallpox. Researchers believe some antiviral drugs may make the illness less severe. But providers aren’t sure how effective these treatments would be. They haven’t used the drugs to treat smallpox in the past.

Prevention

What’s the status of a vaccine to prevent smallpox, if it ever reemerged?

Although vaccines can protect people from smallpox, they aren’t available to the general public. Only people who work in a lab with the variola virus (and similar viruses) should get the vaccine. The vaccine is generally safe. But it has caused severe side effects and complications, such as heart problems and even death.

Since there haven’t been any cases of smallpox since the late 1970s, healthcare providers do not believe the risks of side effects are worth vaccinating everyone. If a smallpox outbreak occurred, the CDC has enough vaccine to give everyone in the United States the smallpox vaccine.

Outlook / Prognosis

What is the outlook for people with smallpox?

Before 1980, around 30% of people with smallpox died from the disease. Most people who survived smallpox had severe scarring after scabs from the blisters fell off. Smallpox also caused blindness when ulcers formed on the eyes.

If someone got smallpox today, antiviral drugs would likely decrease the severity of the illness. But since researchers developed these drugs after smallpox was wiped out, they’ve never used them to treat a person with smallpox. Still, international health authorities are prepared to respond quickly to keep people safe if smallpox ever comes back.

Living With

If I develop a rash, is there any chance it’s smallpox?

It is extremely unlikely that anyone would have smallpox today. Your symptoms are probably due to another condition or disease. Certainly make an appointment with your healthcare provider if you develop a rash.

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Small pox had been eradicated decades ago. You don’t need to be concerned about getting this disease from others. Though very unlikely, a bioterrorist attack involving smallpox could expose people to the virus. But the CDC, along with local and state health departments, has been preparing for this type of emergency for years. These organizations have enough smallpox vaccine to protect everyone in the U.S. in the unlikely event that smallpox reemerges.

Symptoms, How Spread, Cause, Vaccine

Overview

What is smallpox?

Smallpoxis a serious, life-threatening illness causes by variola virus. It causes pus-filled blisters (pustules) to develop on the skin. In 1980, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that smallpox had been eradicated (wiped out).. Since the late 1970s, there haven’t been any confirmed cases of smallpox.

Before being eradicated, millions of people died from this highly contagious disease. A vaccine can provide protection against smallpox, but vaccinating the general public is not recommended because of concerns about the vaccine’s side effects.

How common is smallpox?

There haven’t been any confirmed cases of smallpox since it was wiped out. Before that, smallpox was a life-threatening disease. Millions of people got smallpox every year. Up to 30% of people died of their illness. Death was due to systemic shock (body-wide infection) and toximemia (toxins in the blood). Smallpox is very contagious disease, with secondary attacks affecting up to 80% of house hold contacts. Often, people who survived the disease had long-term problems, such as blindness and severe scarring.

Researchers believe that the disease first appeared in the third century. For thousands of years, smallpox spread throughout the world. In the 1960s, the WHO led a worldwide effort to eliminate smallpox.

Could smallpox come back?

Scientists saved some samples of the variola virus (the virus that causes smallpox) so they could continue to research vaccines and treatments. Only two locations in the world have these virus samples. They’re secured at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta and the State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology (VECTOR Institute) in Russia.

Since smallpox no longer occurs naturally, public health officials are only concerned about it spreading as a result of biological warfare. There hasn’t been any immediate threat of terrorists using smallpox as a weapon. But scientists are prepared to respond if someone weaponized smallpox. The CDC has created enough smallpox vaccine to protect everyone in the United States if the virus does resurface.

Symptoms and Causes

What are the symptoms of smallpox?

Smallpox symptoms don’t appear right away. A person may not look or feel sick for about 7 to 14 days after exposure to the variola virus. This time is called the incubation period. At the end of the incubation period, the first symptoms appear.

Smallpox can present as four clinical types. Most common form — known as ordinary smallpox — occurs in 90% of the cases. Other types include flat smallpox, hemorrhagic smallpox and vaccine-modified smallpox.

Stages of the most common form of smallpox are as follows:

Initial symptoms: This stage lasts about three days. Symptoms include high fever, muscle aches, backaches, headaches and vomiting.

Early rash: After the initial symptoms, a body-wide rash appears. The person is most contagious during this stage. The virus can spread easily through talking, sneezing or coughing. During the early rash stage:

1. A rash develops on the tongue and inside the mouth and throat. Red spots in the mouth become sores, which break open.
2. The rash spreads to the face and then the arms, legs, back and torso. The rash takes about a day to spread all over the body including palms and soles.
3. Bumps on the skin fill with pus (thick fluid). There may be a dent in the middle of each bump. It takes about two days for the bumps to fill with fluid.

Pustular rash and scabs: Bumps turn into pustules (firm, round lumps). Over the next 10 days, crusty scabs form over the pustules. About a week later, scabs start to fall off.

The scabs typically fall off in about three weeks. When they fall off, they leave scars. A person with smallpox is contagious until the last scab has fallen off.

What causes smallpox? How does it spread?

The variola virus causes smallpox. In the past, people spread smallpox most commonly through direct, prolonged face-to-face contact with others. When they sneezed or coughed, they would send respiratory particles through the air. When other people inhaled these large droplets, they would become infected. Less commonly, people become infected by direct contact with the rash or crust material from a swab.

People also spread the virus to each other by sharing sheets, towels and clothing. The disease is most contagious when sores first appear in the throat and mouth. But a person with smallpox is contagious for several weeks after the first sores develop.

Diagnosis and Tests

How is smallpox diagnosed?

Since smallpox no longer occurs naturally, a smallpox diagnosis today is very unlikely. Any symptoms are probably signs of another condition or illness. Before eradication, smallpox was easy to recognize, but few other common illnesses — such as severe chickenpox — was misdiagnosed as smallpox.

Management and Treatment

Can smallpox be treated with medication?

There is no cure for smallpox. Researchers believe some antiviral drugs may make the illness less severe. But providers aren’t sure how effective these treatments would be. They haven’t used the drugs to treat smallpox in the past.

Prevention

What’s the status of a vaccine to prevent smallpox, if it ever reemerged?

Although vaccines can protect people from smallpox, they aren’t available to the general public. Only people who work in a lab with the variola virus (and similar viruses) should get the vaccine. The vaccine is generally safe. But it has caused severe side effects and complications, such as heart problems and even death.

Since there haven’t been any cases of smallpox since the late 1970s, healthcare providers do not believe the risks of side effects are worth vaccinating everyone. If a smallpox outbreak occurred, the CDC has enough vaccine to give everyone in the United States the smallpox vaccine.

Outlook / Prognosis

What is the outlook for people with smallpox?

Before 1980, around 30% of people with smallpox died from the disease. Most people who survived smallpox had severe scarring after scabs from the blisters fell off. Smallpox also caused blindness when ulcers formed on the eyes.

If someone got smallpox today, antiviral drugs would likely decrease the severity of the illness. But since researchers developed these drugs after smallpox was wiped out, they’ve never used them to treat a person with smallpox. Still, international health authorities are prepared to respond quickly to keep people safe if smallpox ever comes back.

Living With

If I develop a rash, is there any chance it’s smallpox?

It is extremely unlikely that anyone would have smallpox today. Your symptoms are probably due to another condition or disease. Certainly make an appointment with your healthcare provider if you develop a rash.

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Small pox had been eradicated decades ago. You don’t need to be concerned about getting this disease from others. Though very unlikely, a bioterrorist attack involving smallpox could expose people to the virus. But the CDC, along with local and state health departments, has been preparing for this type of emergency for years. These organizations have enough smallpox vaccine to protect everyone in the U.S. in the unlikely event that smallpox reemerges.

Side Effects of Smallpox Vaccination | Smallpox

For most people, the smallpox vaccination is safe and effective. Most people experience normal, typically mild reactions to the vaccine, which indicates that the vaccine is beginning to work. Some people may experience reactions requiring medical attention.

Normal, Typically Mild Reactions

You may experience these reactions, which usually go away without treatment:

• Your arm where you received the vaccination may be sore and red.
• The glands (lymph nodes) in your armpits may become large and sore.
• You may run a slight fever.
• You might feel bad enough to miss work, school, or recreational activity or have trouble sleeping. This happens to about 1 out of every 3 people who get the vaccine.

Serious Reactions

In the past, for every 1,000 people vaccinated, 1 person experienced a serious but not life-threatening reactions. These reactions may require medical attention:

• Spreading the vaccinia virus by touching the vaccination site and then touching another part of the body or another person. It usually occurs on the genitals or face, including the eyes, where it can damage sight. You can prevent this by washing your hands with soap and water after touching the vaccine site and by following the instructions for caring for the vaccine site.
• A toxic or allergic rash that can take various forms.

Life-Threatening Reactions

Rarely, people have had very bad reactions to the vaccine. In the past, between 14 and 52 people out of every 1 million people vaccinated for the first time experienced potentially life-threatening reactions. These reactions require immediate medical attention:

• Serious rash caused by widespread infection of the skin (known as eczema vaccinatum). This happened in people with pre-existing skin conditions such as eczema or atopic dermatitis. Many people who got this complication were not vaccinated, but got infected with the virus from the vaccine site of their family member or friend who received vaccination. To help reduce the risk for your loved ones, be sure to follow the instructions for caring for the vaccine site.
• Buildup of inflamed tissue around the vaccination site that may at first look like a bullseye and will grow into a large, non-healing sore (known as progressive vaccinia). This usually happened to people with a deficient immune system.
• Inflammation of the brain (known as postvaccinal encephalitis).

People with certain medical conditions—including people with weakened immune systems or certain skin conditions—are more likely to have these reactions and should not get the smallpox vaccine unless they have been exposed to smallpox. You can read more about people who should not get the smallpox vaccine in Smallpox Vaccine Safety.

Based on past experience, it is estimated that 1 to 2 people out of every 1 million people vaccinated could die as a result of life-threatening reactions to the vaccine.

Other Serious Side Effects

A few people who have gotten the smallpox vaccine have developed heart inflammation (myocarditis), inflammation of the lining of the heart (pericarditis), or a combination of both (myopericarditis).

Other people have experienced heart pain (angina) and heart attack after getting the smallpox vaccination. However, it is not known if the smallpox vaccination caused these problems or if they occurred by chance alone.

If you have chest pain, shortness of breath, or other symptoms of heart disease after getting the smallpox vaccination, you should seek medical attention.

A Note on Numbers: Most of the statistical information about smallpox vaccine side effects cited on this webpage is based on data from two studies conducted in 1968.

Smallpox (Variola) in Adults: Condition, Treatments, and Pictures – Overview

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Images of Smallpox (Variola)

Overview

Smallpox is a disease caused by the variola virus, a virus that is carried and transmitted only in humans. Through a careful program of vaccination, the variola virus is now completely eradicated. The only variola virus known to exist is stored in two labs: one in Atlanta and one in Moscow.

Smallpox is a highly contagious and potentially fatal disease spread by human contact. It is usually spread by face-to-face contact with an infected person or by contact with the secretions from a patient’s rash. There is no certain treatment for smallpox, and the best prevention is immediate vaccination after exposure.

Smallpox is fatal in 30% of cases.

Who’s at risk?

Smallpox has been declared eradicated. However, anyone who comes into contact with the variola virus or a contagious carrier of smallpox is at risk for developing smallpox. In particular, people who work with the variola virus are at a risk of developing smallpox, and these people are usually vaccinated as a precaution, and it is believed that the variola virus could be used as a weapon of bioterrorism.

Signs and Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of smallpox gradually emerge and may be difficult to distinguish from other diseases in the early phases. After exposure, a person usually has no symptoms for up to 17 days; this is the time when it is most important to get vaccinated to prevent disease. The affected person is not contagious at this time.

The next phase is called the prodrome; this lasts for 2–4 days, and the symptoms resemble that of many other illnesses, with fever, achiness (malaise), headache, and vomiting. The person is contagious at this time.

During the next phase, the characteristic rash begins. First, small red spots appear in the mouth and throat. These spots are filled with clear liquid that is very contagious. The rash spreads to the rest of the body, focusing on the hands, feet, arms, and legs. The rash looks like red bumps that gradually fill with a milky fluid. The fluid-filled bumps are all in the same stage at the same time, compared to chickenpox, where the skin blisters are in different stages of appearance with a mix of blisters, bumps, and crusted lesions at a given time.

In the following phases, over the course of about 2 weeks, the bumps eventually dry up, scab over, and heal, leaving a small pitted scar. The person is contagious until all the scabs are healed.

Self-Care Guidelines

If you suspect you have been exposed to smallpox, call your doctor. If you are diagnosed with smallpox, follow your doctor’s instructions. Keep lesions clean and covered, and do not pick off scabs.

When to Seek Medical Care

If you have been exposed to smallpox or think you have smallpox, you should immediately call your doctor to discuss your care. Your doctor will recommend that you remain quarantined (stay at home without contact with any other people) and will help you arrange vaccination and treatment.

Treatments Your Physician May Prescribe

If you are exposed to smallpox, you should immediately be quarantined and vaccinated. Vaccination is not done routinely, but in the case of an outbreak or a bioterrorism attack, the US government has a stockpile of smallpox vaccine sufficient to treat the entire US. There is no definitive treatment for smallpox; vaccinia immune globulin (VIG) and cidofovir, an antiviral medication, are the first and second treatments you will likely receive. In addition, your doctor will make sure you are hydrated with IV fluids, have adequate pain control, and have appropriate antibiotics in case your rash becomes infected with bacteria.

Trusted Links

MedlinePlus: Smallpox

Smallpox – Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Diagnosis

The Facts

Smallpox was an infection that was caused by the virus called variola virus. For thousands of years, smallpox created severe illness and caused the death of hundreds of thousands of people. When it was introduced into the Americas from Europe in the 1500s, it killed many of the native populations. As late as the 1800s it was still causing the deaths of thousands when introduced into susceptible populations, such as in Hawaii, by European explorers. Fortunately, this virus was eliminated as a natural cause of disease in 1977 through effective use of vaccination programs. It is the only disease ever to be deliberately removed from the human population.

It is thought, however, that this virus could be reintroduced as an agent of biological warfare. This is because the virus is very contagious (can be spread from person to person) and can cause serious illness, even death, if an individual is not vaccinated within four days of being exposed to the virus. Since antibiotics only work against bacteria, not viruses, they are ineffective against the smallpox virus. There is no known cure.

Prior to 1972, vaccination against smallpox was standard procedure. Since that time, general vaccination against smallpox has not been recommended and therefore has been unavailable to the general population. It is thought that protection gained from the vaccination against smallpox lasts a maximum of 10 years. It is believed that few people in North America currently have protection against this disease. In light of current terrorist activity, the American and Canadian governments have acquired their own emergency supply of smallpox vaccine. These vaccinations would be used to vaccinate any people exposed to the smallpox virus should this become necessary.

Causes

The smallpox virus is passed from one person to another through inhalation of air droplets or aerosols. Therefore, it is important to isolate a person diagnosed with smallpox and not have face-to-face contact. The disease is spread most easily during the first week of infection, but the risk of passing the virus to another person lasts until all scabs have fallen off (see “Symptoms and Complications”). Clothing or bedding can also spread the virus.

As a weapon of biological warfare, it is most likely that the smallpox virus would be spread through the ventilation systems of buildings. The viruses would only stay alive for one or two days within the building, but by that time many people may have become infected. Since it takes about 2 weeks for the symptoms of smallpox to develop, it is unlikely that the source of the infection would be discovered in time to do anything about it. Smallpox can be passed between people in any climate, but it spreads most easily in cool, dry winter months. It is believed (and hoped) that the only existing smallpox virus in the world is located at two WHO (World Health Organization)-designated laboratories: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US and Russia.

Symptoms and Complications

On average, the time between coming in contact with the smallpox virus and developing symptoms (the incubation period) is 12 days. The incubation period ranges from 7 to 17 days.

The first symptoms of smallpox are high fever, fatigue, headaches, and backaches. A rash that appears mostly on the face, arms, and legs starts about 2 to 3 days later. The rash starts out as a flat, spotty (papular) rash, but soon develops small vesicles (clear fluid-filled lesions) and then later the lesions become pustular (filled with cloudy white pus). The pustules (pus-filled lesions) are usually deeply embedded in the skin and are round and hard. As the pustules continue to get bigger, the person with smallpox is usually in a lot of pain, and the high fever continues. Crusts begin to form on about the eighth or ninth day of rash. Scabs form and separate, leaving deep, pitted scars.

Death from smallpox typically occurs in about 30% of unvaccinated people developing the common variola major form of the disease. In those who have been vaccinated, the death rate is about 3%. One variant of the disease is called variola minor, and the death rate from it is less than 1%. These estimates come from the rates of death before 1972 (the last naturally occurring case of the disease). Many of the deaths occurred from bacterial infections getting into sores; good wound care is thus extremely important. Death from smallpox usually occurs during the second week of symptoms.

Making the Diagnosis

Smallpox is initially suspected through appearance of the symptoms described above. The early symptoms (first 2 to 3 days) of smallpox could be confused with chickenpox and other similar diseases. The differences are that the chickenpox rash is denser over the trunk, while the smallpox rash tends to occur to a higher degree on the face, arms, and legs.

The symptoms of smallpox are much more severe (e.g., high fever, muscle aches) than those of chickenpox, and the entire rash associated with smallpox evolves at the same rate – from all the lesions being papules to all becoming vesicles, to all becoming pustules at the same time. In chickenpox, the rash occurs in various stages – in some areas there are papules, in others vesicles, and in others pustules – but all 3 types can be seen to be present at the same time.

To confirm the diagnosis of smallpox, a health official wearing gloves and a mask collects a piece of scab or the fluid inside the vesicles or pustules. The diagnosis can be quickly confirmed in the laboratory through use of an electron microscope and confirmed by culturing the virus from the scab or fluid.

Treatment and Prevention

There is no known specific treatment for smallpox, although research is being carried out in an attempt to create a medication capable of killing the virus. Control of fever, prevention of dehydration, good wound care, and antibiotics for any secondary infection caused by bacteria are important measures for the smallpox patient.

If a case of smallpox were diagnosed, that person would be isolated from other people immediately, and all people that had been in contact with that person would be isolated, vaccinated, and watched closely for signs of the disease. Vaccine that is given within 4 days of exposure to the virus may prevent or greatly reduce the symptoms of the disease.

Currently, smallpox vaccine is approved for use only with those people who are at special risk for the disease. Laboratory workers working with the virus are also vaccinated. If an epidemic were to occur, widespread vaccination could take place, with priorities as recommended by the government.

The vaccination against smallpox contains the cowpox (vaccinia) virus, not the smallpox virus. The vaccinia virus, which is related to the smallpox virus, allows the production of antibodies against the smallpox virus by our body’s defense (immune) system. The vaccine is very safe, and was routinely given to the general population before 1972. Certain people are at higher risk for adverse reactions to the vaccine – most reactions are mild, but some are severe. They include people with eczema or other skin conditions, pregnant women, and persons with circumstances that result in weakened immune systems, for instance those with cancers like leukemia and lymphoma and people who have had solid organ transplants.

All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 – 2021. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/condition/getcondition/Smallpox

Smallpox – Our World in Data

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90,000 Smallpox Vaccine – Southern Nevada Medical District

What is Smallpox Vaccine?

Smallpox vaccine is the only way to prevent smallpox. The vaccine is made from vaccinia virus, which is another smallpox virus associated with smallpox.

The vaccine helps the body develop immunity to smallpox. It has been used successfully to eradicate smallpox from the population.

Is the vaccine still in progress?

Routine smallpox vaccination in the United States ceased in 1972.after the disease was eradicated in the United States. Until recently, the United States government provided smallpox vaccine to only a few hundred scientists and medical professionals who work with smallpox and similar viruses in research facilities.

However, following the events of September and October 2001, the government took further steps to raise the level of terrorism readiness. For smallpox, this included updating the response plan and ordering enough smallpox vaccine to immunize the American population in the event of a smallpox outbreak.The vaccine is not currently available to the public.

How is smallpox vaccine made?

Smallpox vaccine is not given with a hypodermic needle. It is not a “vaccination” like many vaccinations. The vaccine is administered using a branched (double-ended) needle that is immersed in the vaccine solution. Once removed, the needle holds the vaccine drop. Then the skin is quickly pierced 15 times with a needle in a few seconds. The injection is shallow, but at the same time a painful place is formed and one or two drops of blood are formed.

The vaccination is usually given in the upper arm.

If the vaccination is successful, the following will happen at the vaccination site:

• After three or four days, a red and itchy bump appears at the vaccination site.
• In the first week after vaccination, the lump develops into a large blister, fills with pus and begins to drain.
• In the second week, the blister begins to dry out and a scab forms.
• The scab falls off in the third week, leaving a small scar.

People who are vaccinated for the first time may have a stronger “reaction” (a successful reaction) than those who are re-vaccinated.

Many vaccines required. Why shouldn’t people be vaccinated against smallpox?

The last case of smallpox in the United States was in 1949. The last natural case in the world was in Somalia in 1977. After the disease was eradicated worldwide, routine smallpox vaccination in the population was discontinued because it was no longer necessary for prevention.

How long does the vaccination last?

Past experience shows that the first dose of vaccine provides protection against smallpox for a period of three to five years, followed by a decrease in immunity. If a person is given a revaccination, immunity lasts longer.

If someone contracted smallpox, is it too late to get vaccinated?

Vaccination within three days of exposure will completely prevent or significantly alter smallpox in the vast majority of people.Vaccination four to seven days after exposure is likely to provide some protection against the disease or may change its severity.

Are smallpox vaccine diluted as effective?

Recent trials have shown that diluted (ie, diluted) smallpox vaccine is as effective in providing immunity as the full-strength vaccine.

Can people get vaccinated with smallpox?

No.Smallpox vaccine does not contain the smallpox virus and cannot spread or cause smallpox. However, the vaccine does contain a different virus called vaccinia, which is present in the vaccine “live”.

Since the virus is live, it can spread to other parts of the body or to other people from the vaccination site. This can be avoided by taking proper care of the vaccination site (for example, washing your hands and carefully disposing of used dressings). For this reason, the vaccination site must be carefully looked after.

What are the symptoms of the vaccine?

Vaccinia virus can cause rashes, fever, headaches and body aches.

How is cowpox spread?

The vaccine is spread by touching the vaccination site before it heals, or by touching bandages or clothing contaminated with live virus from the vaccination site. The vaccine is not airborne.

How safe is smallpox vaccine?

Smallpox vaccine is the best protection you can get if you are exposed to the smallpox virus.Most people experience normal, usually mild reactions, which include arm pain, fever, and body aches. According to recent tests, one in three people felt bad enough to skip work, school, or recreational activities, or had trouble sleeping after being vaccinated.

However, the vaccine has some risks. In the past, about 1,000 people for every million people vaccinated for the first time experienced serious reactions, although not life-threatening.

These reactions include a severe (toxic or allergic) reaction at the vaccination site and spread of vaccinia virus (the live virus in smallpox vaccine) to other parts of the body and other people.These reactions usually do not require medical attention.

In rare cases, people respond very badly to the vaccine. In the past, 14 to 52 people per million vaccinated have experienced potentially life-threatening reactions. Based on past experience, it is estimated that 1 to 2 people in 1 million people vaccinated will die from life-threatening reactions to the vaccine.

Careful screening of potential vaccine recipients is essential to ensure that people at high risk do not receive the vaccine.

Is there a treatment for a bad reaction to the vaccine?

Two treatments can help people who have certain severe reactions to smallpox vaccine. These are vaccinia immune globulin (VIG) and cidofovir.

Since December 2002, the CDC has accumulated over 2,700 treatment doses of VIG (enough to predict vaccine reactions for over 27 million people) and 3,500 doses of cidofovir (enough to predict vaccine reactions for 15 million people).

Additional doses of VIG are being issued and measures are being taken to increase the supply of cidofovir.Both VIG and cidofovir are administered according to the Investigational New Drug (IND) protocol.

Who should not be vaccinated?

People who have ever been diagnosed with eczema or atopic dermatitis should not get vaccinated, even if the condition is not currently evident. In addition, people who have had contact with such skin conditions at home should not be vaccinated.

People with other acute, chronic, or exfoliative skin conditions (eg, burns, impetigo, chickenpox, contact dermatitis, herpes zoster, herpes, severe acne or psoriasis) or with ongoing surgical incisions should not be vaccinated until the condition has resolved.

The vaccine should not be given to people with weakened immune systems, such as those who have received a transplant, are HIV positive, are undergoing cancer treatment, or are taking medications (such as topical or inhaled steroids) that suppress the immune system, or women. who is pregnant. These contraindications also apply to anyone who has had these conditions in the home.

The following additional contraindications apply only to people who can receive the vaccine and not to family members:

• Anyone who has had an allergic reaction to smallpox vaccine or any component of the vaccine in the past should not receive the vaccine.
• Vaccination should be postponed for anyone who is moderately or severely ill until the condition clears up and anyone under 18 years of age who is breastfeeding or with conjunctival eye disease should not receive the vaccine.

These terms may be updated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If a person belonging to one of these categories is exposed to the smallpox virus, they are advised to get the vaccine.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Why chickenpox is dangerous for adults and children

How to treat chickenpox correctly, what complications it threatens and why vaccines are better than “chickenpox parties”, Gazeta.Ru says.

Chickenpox is an acute infectious disease caused by a virus from the herpesvirus family – Varicella Zoster. The disease is transmitted by airborne droplets or through direct contact with an infected person. Transmission of the virus from a pregnant mother to a fetus is also possible.

In the 16th century, chickenpox was considered a type of smallpox – hence the name.

However, already in the 17th century it was considered as a separate disease. In the XX century, its pathogen was also isolated.

Chickenpox is one of the most common diseases among children worldwide. By the age of 10-14, almost all children acquire immunity, so chickenpox is rare in adults. The highest incidence of chickenpox is observed among children 3-6 years old, then among children 1-2 years old and 7-14 years old. The lowest incidence rates are among children under 1 year of age.

The virus enters the body through the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract and invades the epithelial cells of the mucous membrane. It then enters the bloodstream and becomes fixed in the skin, causing the characteristic itchy blistering rash.

The first symptoms usually appear after a 10 to 21 day incubation period and include fever, malaise, and rash. Bubbles on the skin and mucous membranes gradually become covered with a crust, which disappears within 7-10 days. People remain infectious until all lesions are crusted.The disease is relatively easy to carry, but serious complications can occur, including bacterial infections (inflammation of the subcutaneous tissue, pneumonia) and neurological complications (such as encephalitis), which can be fatal.

Higher morbidity and mortality from the disease is characteristic of newborns and those with impaired immune systems.

After infection, the virus remains latent in nerve cells and can regenerate, causing a secondary infection – shingles.It usually occurs in adults over 50 or in immunocompromised people. It is accompanied by a painful rash that can permanently damage the nerve.

Intrauterine infection of the fetus with the chickenpox virus during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy can lead to spontaneous abortion, intrauterine fetal death or the birth of a child with congenital chickenpox syndrome, which is characterized by malformations of the limbs (shortening, deformation), brain (microcephalus, hydrocephalus, cortical atrophy) and organs of vision (cataract).

However, the risk of infection of the fetus during pregnancy is no more than 2% and varies depending on the period, therefore, chickenpox in the mother is not considered an indication for abortion. Moreover, if a woman becomes infected a few days before childbirth, the risk of fetal infection increases to 17%.

Treatment for chickenpox is reduced to alleviating symptoms, in case of complications it is carried out in a hospital. Comprehensive treatment is the most effective and includes diet and medication.Bed rest should be observed during the entire febrile period.

The affected skin areas should be treated with a disinfectant solution. Paracetamol is most often used to lower the temperature. Children should not be given aspirin and the medications it contains – this can cause Reye’s syndrome, an acute and life-threatening liver and brain damage. The use of antiviral agents is justified only for premature babies, patients with impaired immune systems and adults.

Ointments, baking soda baths and antihistamines will help to cope with itching.

Complications of chickenpox occur in 5-6% of cases, mainly in adults. 30% of complications are neurological, 20% are pneumonia and bronchitis, 45% are local complications (bacterial skin lesions, etc.), accompanied by the formation of scars.

In particular, ganglioneuritis may develop – damage to the nerve node with adjacent nerve fibers.

“I started having unreal hiccups with chickenpox, 20 hours a day.The neurologist suggested that this is a complication from chickenpox, the vagus nerve or muscle fibers around it became inflamed, ”says one of the patients.

The vagus nerve is a paired nerve that runs from the brain to the abdomen. It innervates the organs of the head, neck, chest and abdominal cavities.

In 1974, a chickenpox vaccine was developed in Japan. In the United States, chickenpox vaccination has been widespread since 1995, before that “chickenpox parties” were popular there, when parents took their children to visit an infected child.However, a vaccine with an attenuated virus turned out to be safer than the disease, which caused complications and, in some cases, was fatal.

Immunization programs began to appear in Russia since 2009.

Chickenpox vaccine is included in the national vaccination calendar of Australia, Austria, recommendations of the Standing Committee on Vaccinations in Germany, vaccination schedules of most Canadian provinces.

90,000 Varicella vaccination

Chickenpox is an acute, highly contagious infectious disease caused by herpes simplex virus type 3.

More often children are ill for whom the infection does not pose a serious danger, but there are groups of people whose health it can cause significant harm.

IN ADOLESCENTS AND ADULTS, THE INFECTION PROCEEDS SEVERE AND IS OFTEN INCLUDED WITH COMPLICATIONS (secondary bacterial infection, PNEUMONIA, ENCEPHALITIS, HEPATITIS, AND OTHERS.)

After a person is ill, immunity to chickenpox develops in his body.But the virus does not die, but remains in the body in a latent form, in the nerve cells. If the immune system weakens for various reasons, then the virus reactivates and leads to the development of herpes zoster (lichen), which occurs with severe pain, which often leads to disability. If untreated, herpes zoster can recur repeatedly throughout life.

Vaccination is one of the leading remedies for chickenpox.

Experts especially recommend to vaccinate those people who did not have chickenpox in childhood.

The group of people in particular need of vaccination against chickenpox includes:

90,029 90,030 women planning pregnancy, because with chickenpox in the first trimester of pregnancy, the virus can cause congenital malformations in the fetus.

90,030 medical workers;

90,030 teachers and educators;

90,030 patients suffering from diseases such as chronic heart, pulmonary and renal failure; diabetes or high-grade hypertension;

Vaccination is effective in preventing disease. If you get vaccinated within 72 hours after contact with a sick person, the disease can be avoided with almost 100% probability.

Currently, the vaccination of children and adults against chickenpox is included in the vaccination calendar of a number of EU countries.

Vaccination against chickenpox has been included in the regional vaccination schedule for Moscow since 2009.

VACCINATION AGAINST VARILRIX VACCINE IS CARRIED OUT IN OUR CLINICS, BELGIUM.

The vaccine is recommended from the age of twelve months in children and adults. You will first need to visit a doctor and get a referral for vaccination.It is likely that 2 doses of the drug will need to be administered.

Do not wait for the disease to affect you and your loved ones, your health is in your hands!

Our doctors are always ready to advise you on vaccination issues.

90,000 “How Immunity Works.” Are vaccinations harmful to the body?

In the 17th and 18th centuries in India, it was noted that smallpox epidemics are of different “strength”. Therefore, during outbreaks of “soft epidemics”, when there were not so many victims, children were wrapped in sheets of smallpox patients in order for them to endure a mild form of the disease and thereby provide themselves with immunity.

Another method of transmission of smallpox from person to person, which existed around the same centuries in India, China and North Africa – inoculation or vaccination (from Latin inoculare – “to inoculate”, “transplant”), that is, subcutaneous administration of the variola virus … In the past, vaccination meant an incision or injection with a scalpel, with which a smallpox bubble was previously opened on the patient’s body. Three days later, a large smallpox vesicle appeared at the site of the cut, and after four or five days, as the infection developed, there were many of them.In addition, the patient showed other symptoms characteristic of smallpox.

In Europe, these methods of preventing smallpox epidemics became widely known only in the 18th century, when there was a tendency to adopt the original ideas of Eastern peoples and cultures. The earliest mention of variolation was found in Denmark in the 17th century – the Europeans adopted the practice of smallpox vaccinations from the Turks.

Gradually, inoculation began to spread outside Denmark. The famous French philosopher Voltaire was so impressed by this phenomenon that he managed to convey his enthusiasm to Catherine II through correspondence.After the empress herself, her son Pavel and Count Orlov took root from smallpox, this method of preventing the disease became popular in Russia.

It is believed that the method of vaccination was first proposed by the physician Edward Jenner in 1796. Vaccination comes from vaccinia virus Variolae vaccinae . The scientist successfully inoculated eight-year-old James Phipps with the vaccinia virus, as a result of which the boy received immunity against smallpox.

In the history of science, there is evidence that Jenner was far from the first to observe the immunity of cowpox milkmaids to smallpox.For example, in 1774, the English farmer Benjamin Jesti, during an epidemic, vaccinated his sons and wife with the cowpox virus. After they had a less severe form of the disease, the family acquired immunity to smallpox. Nevertheless, it was Edward Jenner who received wide recognition. He not only decided to check his own long-term observations, but also introduced the terms “vaccination” and “vaccine”, which we still use today. Experiments in the field of vaccination gave impetus to the development of the doctrine of vaccines.It is to them that we owe the disappearance of the variola virus. The last death from this disease was recorded in 1978 in England – a photographer contracted smallpox in a laboratory.

Currently, there are more than 100 types of vaccines against dozens of infections, which are divided into 4 classes according to their main characteristics:

1) Inactivated vaccines

Inactivated vaccines contain killed bacteria, viruses, or their parts. These vaccines include flu, typhoid, tick-borne encephalitis, rabies, hepatitis A and others.

2) Live (attenuated) vaccines

These vaccines contain attenuated pathogens that are not capable of causing disease. When they are introduced into the human body, an immune response is triggered with the formation of antibodies and memory cells. Thanks to attenuated vaccines, the body in most cases is protected from tuberculosis, rotavirus infection, measles, rubella, polio, chickenpox (chickenpox) and other diseases.

3) Toxoids (toxoids)

This type of vaccine contains bacterial toxins that have been treated in a special way.At the same time, their harmful properties are lost, but the toxins themselves do not greatly change their structure. On the basis of toxoids, vaccinations against diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus are created.

4) Molecular vaccines

Molecular vaccines contain proteins or protein fragments of microorganisms characteristic of a particular type of pathogen. Today, such a vaccine exists against viral hepatitis B. The necessary components for molecular vaccines are obtained using genetic engineering methods. These vaccines are created to prevent disease: the vaccine is given to a healthy person in order to “arm” the body in advance with the means to fight the infection.

Chickenpox and shingles

Smallpox varicella is a highly contagious acute viral disease with airborne transmission, which occurs mainly in childhood and is characterized by moderate intoxication, fever, vesicular rash on the skin and mucous membranes.

Etiology. The causative agent of chickenpox belongs to viruses of the herpes group, unstable in the external environment. Dies quickly under the influence of high temperatures, ultraviolet radiation, ether.It tolerates freezing-living well. The virus is volatile and can be transported over long distances with the air flow.

Epidemiology. The virus causes two clinical variants: chickenpox, herpes zoster. It is believed that chickenpox is a manifestation of a primary infection in a susceptible organism (more often in children), since herpes zoster is a reactivation of an infection in an immune and weakened organism. Ways of transmission of infection – airborne, less often – contact – household.Transmission of varicella zoster virus and shingles from mother to fetus during pregnancy is also possible (vertical transmission). However, this opportunity is rarely realized.

The source of infection is a person with chickenpox or herpes zoster. The patient is contagious in the last 1-2 days of the incubation period and up to 5 days from the appearance of the last vesicles. The virus is found in large quantities in the contents of the vesicles and is absent in the crusts. After the transferred disease, stable immunity is developed.The virus “lives” for a long time in the cells of the spinal ganglia, ganglia of the facial and triple nerves. The pathogen enters the body by airborne droplets through the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract. After the end of the incubation period, it enters the bloodstream. The fixation of the virus occurs in the epithelium of the skin and cells of the mucous membranes, as a result of which a characteristic rash appears.

Under the influence of any provoking factors (or on the background of immunodeficiency states), the virus can reactivate, which can be expressed in the form of local skin rashes – herpes zoster or shingles.Shingles is a sporadic disease resulting from the activation of a latent varicella-zoster virus. It is characterized by inflammation of the posterior roots of the spinal cord and intervertebral ganglia, as well as the appearance of fever, general intoxication and vesicular exanthema along the sensory nerves involved in the process.

The main proportion of cases falls on the age of 3-6 years. Adults who have not previously had this infection can also get sick with chickenpox. The susceptibility to chickenpox is unique – it is 100%.Like other viruses, the herpes virus is characterized by low resistance in the environment, so the patient poses a threat only through direct communication with him. The virus quickly dies when exposed to direct sunlight, ultraviolet radiation, and when heated.

Cases of chickenpox are registered throughout the year. The maximum incidence of chickenpox is observed in the autumn-winter months, the minimum – in the summer. Group morbidity is observed in the autumn-winter period, mainly in organized groups among preschool children.Children attending kindergartens and creches are 7 times more likely to get this infection than unorganized children.

Chickenpox Clinic. The incubation period can last 11-21 days, with an average of about 14 days. The disease begins acutely: the body temperature rises, symptoms of intoxication occur, and appetite decreases. At the same time, a rash appears all over the body with elements in the form of small pasties, which quickly turn into vesicles. After 1-3 days, the vesicles dry up, and crusts form in their place, falling off in the 2-3rd week of the disease.After them, light pigmentation remains on the skin. Scars are not formed. Itching of the skin is observed in young children and persons prone to allergic reactions. Elements of a chickenpox rash appear immediately on all skin integuments, including the scalp, as well as on the oral mucosa, conjunctiva. The skin of the palms and feet is not covered with a rash. Items don’t merge. There may be complications that are associated with the addition of a secondary bacterial infection, and are manifested in the form of abscesses, phlegmon, pneumonia, encephalitis, otitis, sinusitis, conjunctivitis, erysipelas, scarlet fever, lymphadenitis, stomatitis.

Lifetime immunity remains after the illness. However, it should be noted that in persons with severe immunodeficiency of various etiologies (HIV infection, after organ transplantation), the recurrence of diseases is possible. Shingles, on the other hand, is most common among adults.

Treatment. Treatment is carried out on an outpatient basis, in severe cases with complications from the central nervous system and purulent complications or for epidemiological indications, patients are hospitalized.

Prevention. The patient is to be isolated at home until the 5th day after the appearance of the last element of the rash. Disinfection is not performed. Children under the age of 3 who have been in contact with a patient with chickenpox and have not had it before are separated from the 11th to the 21st day, counting from the moment of contact.

Specific prophylaxis. Currently, in accordance with the National calendar of preventive vaccinations and the list of preventive vaccinations for epidemic indications, immunization against chickenpox is carried out for children who are planned to undergo an operation for transplantation of human organs and (or) tissues, in the absence of antibodies or 2 years after the end of immunosuppressive therapy after transplantation.

90,000 Viral skin diseases | NEO

Viral skin diseases occur when exposed to certain types of viruses.

The most common diseases include:

1. Viral warts (warts, papillomas – viral infection)
2. Dermatitis (allergic, seborrheic, perioral, eczema)
3. Acne (acne, pimples, blackheads)
4. Herpetic infections
5. Shingles

Viral warts – one of the most common skin diseases.It occurs when the papilloma virus is introduced into human skin cells. At the site of introduction, growths appear in the form of nodules. The virus can get on the skin through close contact with a sick person (shaking hands) or through contact with objects that he used (dishes, gadgets, etc.). The incubation period lasts from 2 to 6 months.

Depending on the type of virus that caused the wart, it can have a different shape, color and placement on the body. There are several types of viral warts:

• Flat warts
• Plantar warts
• Vulgar warts
• Filiform warts

Treatment of warts at the Medical Center “NEO”

Currently, the only radical method is to remove existing growths with the help of drugs or physical influence.The following methods apply:

• Cryodestruction (applications with liquid nitrogen)
• Electrocoagulation
• Laser coagulation
• Chemo destruction (drug application)

All of the above methods can be used as monotherapy or in combination with each other.

Molluscum contagiosum is a viral skin disease caused by one of the smallpox viruses.The most common cases are children aged one to 10 years. The route of infection with molluscum contagiosum is contact. The threat is posed not only by an infected person, but also by household items. In adults, the sexual route of infection is possible with the localization of rashes on the skin of the genitals. The incubation period is from 2 weeks to 6 months.

Radio wave surgery

Mechanical removal

Cryodestruction

Appointment

Herpes infection – a skin disease caused by the herpes simplex virus type I.Infection occurs by airborne droplets and contact-household from infected patients and asymptomatic virus carriers. The incubation period lasts from 2 to 14 days.

The mucous membranes of the oral cavity, the skin of the face, trunk and upper extremities are most often affected. Rashes appear in the form of vesicles with transparent contents, more often painful on palpation. Herpes simplex virus type I persists in the body throughout life. Under the influence of provoking factors (hypothermia, stress, chronic diseases, etc.)etc.), the disease can take on a relapsing course.

Treatment methods:

• Antiviral drugs
• Immunomodulators
• Herpes vaccine

Shingles is a skin disease caused by the Varicella zoster virus (a family of herpes viruses). The virus is transmitted by airborne droplets. Infection occurs from a person who has shingles or chickenpox.

At the first contact with the virus, more often in early childhood, the clinical picture of chickenpox develops. After recovery, the virus remains in the body, hiding from the nerve endings. Virus activation can occur after several decades, under the influence of provoking factors (drafts, hypothermia, stressful situations, etc.)

On the skin of the trunk or skin of the face, along the innervation of this nerve, sharply painful grouped vesicles with transparent contents appear.Soreness can persist for a long time after the disappearance of the rash.

Shingles get sick, like chickenpox, once in a lifetime, there are no relapses. The only exceptions are HIV-infected and immunocompromised patients.

Treatment of shingles, like other viral skin diseases, should only be carried out under medical supervision!

You can make an appointment with an experienced dermatologist at the NEO Center by calling (383) 239-33-08 or using the online service.

Appointment

90,000 pros and cons – SPB GBUZ City polyclinic 71

Vaccinations: pros and cons.

To answer this question unequivocally “Yes” or “No”, you need to understand what vaccination is, what is the essence of the process and what changes occur in the human body. It is also worth remembering that even an unambiguous answer “Yes” or “No” implies certain fluctuations, fluctuations or exceptions to the rules, which, paradoxically, will be the majority.This state of affairs is connected with the fact that a person is not a simple system that works only on unambiguous commands with limited options for response. Each organism is a complex system, within which many local and general subsystems interact, that is, organs, tissues, cells and even molecules. All subsystems react strictly in their own way to each impact or change in the conditions of existence, and as a result, a general response of the whole organism develops.The response of the whole organism depends on the state of each subsystem and the characteristics of its functioning. Moreover, it is necessary to understand that even to the same irritation or effect, the body can respond in different ways, depending on many factors that determine the functioning of each organ system at a given moment in time.

What is vaccination?

Vaccination is a collection of whole microbes or parts of pathogenic microorganisms in a modified form, which are introduced into the human body in order to form immunity to some specific infection.This type of vaccination is called preventive or prophylactic, since they are aimed at actively preventing infectious diseases.

All vaccinations, depending on the type of inactive pathogen and the method of obtaining them, are divided into three main types:

• An artificially weakened microorganism that is the direct cause of an infectious disease (for example, vaccination against poliomyelitis).
• Various substances, poisonous for the human body, which are produced by pathogenic microbes in the course of their own vital activity.
• Blood serum of various animals that have been artificially made immune to a specific infection.

Vaccination history

The first mention of vaccinations is contained in Indian medical treatises of the 8th century, when Hindu doctors from the Brahmin caste were actively interested in the topic of preventing epidemics of often fatal infections that are numerous in a hot and humid climate. During this period, the knowledge of the ancient world was lost in Europe, and the domination and supremacy of religion, its penetration of all human life led to the fact that any disease was supposed to be sent down by the Lord as punishment for unrighteous deeds.Such ideas are not at all surprising, since microbes had not yet been discovered, the level of hygiene was extremely low, and scientific and technological progress was simply absent. In principle, the very process of scientific knowledge of the world was “frozen”, and all the processes taking place were explained from the point of view of religion.

Since then, centuries have passed, important and serious discoveries have been made, and one of the most significant were vaccinations. Not drugs, not improving living conditions made it possible to increase life expectancy – namely, vaccinations.The first prototype of vaccination in Europe was used against smallpox. When scientists and doctors noticed that milkmaids who are in close contact with livestock often get sick with cowpox, after which, having recovered, they are not susceptible to infection with fatal smallpox, they came to the idea of ​​the need to carry out prevention. Prevention consisted of the following: smallpox crusts were stripped from the skins of cows and bulls, and rubbed into the skin, deliberately causing a cowpox infection. And the wise men of the East, with their inherent share of cruelty, invented variolation back in the 10th century, which was widespread in China, India, and later in the Ottoman Port.Variolation was the following process: a patient with smallpox peeled off the crusts and, deliberately injuring the skin, rubbed them, trying to absorb the contents of the crusts into the blood. That is, in fact, they were deliberately infected with smallpox. Since the infection did not occur through the natural entrance gate of the infection (smallpox is transmitted by airborne droplets), but through the blood, the person was sick in a relatively mild form. And after recovery, he acquired immunity to a terrible infection for the rest of his life.Almost 95% of infected people survived when such variolation was carried out (according to Chinese sources).

Variolation spread to Europe, which suffered mercilessly from epidemics of infectious diseases, only by the 18th century, when the wife of the British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire brought this idea. The wife of the ambassador was amazed at the results of the variolation carried out by the Ottomans, therefore, having arrived in the UK, she won the right to conduct clinical trials on prisoners sentenced to death.Clinical trials were successful, after which the entire aristocratic class of the United Kingdom, including children, performed the variolation procedure. Looking at the representatives of their elite, ordinary people also began to be vaccinated, as a result of which smallpox epidemics are a thing of the past – now only 2% of the population died from this terrible infection, and not 2%, as it was before the introduction of variolation. Then variolation was canceled due to the introduction of more modern methods of forming immunity to infections.Variation was first replaced by the European equivalent of this term – vaccination. The modern term vaccination is derived from the Latin name for a cow – vacca, the smallpox crusts of which were rubbed into the skin to prevent possible infection with smallpox.

As a result, by 1980 it was possible to achieve a complete cessation of the circulation of the smallpox virus in the human population, so newborns older than this year were not vaccinated against the terrible infection. However, relatively recently, the World Health Organization announced that the smallpox virus mutated a little and spread to apes, so theoretically it can return again to the human population, and lead to an epidemic of unprecedented proportions, since there are many unvaccinated people on Earth since 1980.It is this circumstance that has caused the discussion about the need to return the smallpox vaccination.

Do children need vaccinations?

The answer to this difficult question lies practically in the field of philosophy, since it depends on the positions from which the child’s parents look at the world. If a person’s consciousness is imbued with any mystical tradition, which is characterized by blind faith in miracles and the hope that the Higher Forces will do everything by themselves, then, in principle, vaccination is completely unnecessary.Many people rely on the help of some Higher Forces, which, subject to certain norms, prohibitions and rules of conduct, must make sure that nothing happens to such an individual, including infection with an infectious, potentially fatal disease. In this case, a characteristic feature of a person with a strong mystical consciousness is the willingness to accept any outcome that is considered sent by the Higher Forces, etc. The most striking examples of societies with such a mystical consciousness are some populations of people in India, Indochina, Indonesia, Burma, the peoples of the countries of Equatorial Africa, as well as a number of others.In the populations of the population of these countries and geographic regions, epidemics of all kinds of infectious diseases very often occur, which lead to the death of from one fifth to half of the sick people. This natural population decline is offset by high birth rates, and the ratio is approximately the following: out of ten children born, only two survive to puberty. It is also worth remembering and taking into account the fact that the average life expectancy of the population of these regions is 35–40 years.

Before the introduction of the health care system, which covers the entire population, life expectancy in Russia was the same. Usually, people with such a consciousness consider vaccination to be a strong harm to the body a priori, therefore, any negative events that occurred after the vaccination of a child are perceived precisely as a consequence of the latter. Even if the child is hit by a car, the vaccine is to blame. The following episode from history characterizing this type of consciousness is very indicative: in Papua New Guinea, a twenty-year-old woman was burned alive, because she conducted some kind of treatment for a child, after which he recovered, but a few days later this baby was trampled by a wild elephant in his native village.This brutal murder was committed because uneducated people considered the elephant’s behavior as punishment for living among them a witch, harming their children and adults. Returning to the question of whether children need vaccinations, the answer to it for parents with the above-described type of consciousness is unequivocally “No”. Other people who have acquired critical thinking skills and view the world from a scientific perspective see vaccinations as a necessity. Vaccines may not be the best way to prevent infections, but so far no other method has been invented.And at this stage of development, good, purified vaccines are the most optimal method for developing immunity to potentially dangerous infections.

Of course, vaccinations are not ideal, they have contraindications, and a rather large number of factors should be taken into account when deciding whether to vaccinate. Sometimes the vaccine responds and sometimes it doesn’t. Also, unfortunately, there are a number of possible complications of vaccinations, although at present, subject to all conditions of production, storage and administration of vaccines, they are minimized.However, a negligible number of these complications have not been completely eliminated. As a result, it is possible to put on one side of the scale the undoubted benefits of vaccinations in the form of preventing infection with dangerous infectious diseases, and on the other – a very small risk of developing dangerous complications. Of course, when analyzing the ratio of the risk of vaccinations to their benefits, it becomes obvious that the benefits of vaccination are much greater than its hypothetical complications. That is why vaccinations are necessary and necessary for every child. Do children need to be vaccinated? Above was described the heroic story of the struggle of mankind with dangerous infections, which before the era of vaccinations claimed the lives of half, and sometimes most of the population.Think of the great plague in London, the numerous epidemics of smallpox, cholera and many others, when adults and children died due to their lack of immunity to these infections. Today, in the era of antibiotics, even the use of potent drugs does not guarantee a cure for a dangerous infection (such as the plague). An example of this is the death of a man in the United States a few months ago who contracted bubonic plague from his own cat and died despite treatment with strong antibiotics.

Many people believe that today we live in much better conditions, we have good hygienic standards, we regularly wash ourselves and perform other procedures, which are quite enough to prevent infectious diseases. And even if a person becomes infected, good nutrition and quality treatment will help him fully recover. Unfortunately, this opinion is wrong. The absence of pathogens of infectious diseases in the population is due precisely to the fact that most people have vaccinations, that is, immunity to pathogenic microbes.Thus, the microbe is simply not capable of infecting anyone, it has nowhere to live. If we move away from mass vaccination, then pathogenic microorganisms will return to our population, since they can easily and freely infect people, without encountering obstacles such as immunity caused by vaccinations. That is why it is imperative to vaccinate children. Do not wait for the baby to grow up, as children are more susceptible to infections than adults. It is better to provide a person with immunity to infectious diseases from an early age.

Opponents of vaccination argue that a person is a very strong and hardy creature, and therefore is able to effectively resist dangerous infections, if he lives “right”. Under the term “right”, each group understands its own ideas: someone considers it necessary to live in the bosom of nature, eat only natural products, without any “chemistry”, others believe that their own immune system has limitless possibilities, if it is adjusted again by communication with nature, etc.Of course, the desire to eat right, lead a healthy lifestyle, communicate with nature will perfectly prevent many other dangerous diseases (for example, atherosclerosis, influenza, type II diabetes mellitus, etc.). But, alas, in relation to dangerous infections (plague, cholera, smallpox, anthrax, tetanus, whooping cough, diphtheria, tuberculosis, syphilis, etc.), these measures are powerless. By the way, some 200 years ago, people lived on a subsistence economy, that is, in the bosom of nature, ate only natural products, since there were no preservatives at all – but the epidemics of infections were absolutely terrifying in scale.And today, just remember, because almost every summer, cholera outbreaks are reported among vacationers in the south. It would seem that people communicate with nature, swim in water bodies, eat fruits – but cholera still does not recede. And if this infection is not treated with modern antibiotics, then the risk of death is very high.

Today, in Russia, parents can refuse to vaccinate their children. Vaccination is optional. But many childcare facilities, such as kindergartens and schools, refuse to accept unvaccinated babies.Parents often say: “Why should you be afraid? Your children are vaccinated, so if my child gets sick, it will not infect anyone anyway!” This is of course true. But don’t be so arrogant without knowing the epidemiology. When in a population of people there is immunity to any disease caused by vaccinations, then the causative agent of this infection does not disappear – it simply passes to other similar species. This happened with the smallpox virus, which is now circulating in the monkey population. The microorganism in such a situation can mutate, after which people will again become partially susceptible to it.First of all, unvaccinated people will become infected, and then those whose immunity has weakened, or for some reason they turned out to be susceptible to this changed microbe, despite vaccination. Therefore, a small percentage of unvaccinated people can do a disservice to everyone else.