Smallpox

Smallpox was a very bad disease with a high mortality rate. It is caused by a virus. There are two different species of viruses that can cause the disease. They are Variola major and Variola minor. Some people also call smallpox Variola, named after the viruses' scientific name.

Only humans can get this disease. Variola major kills between 20% and 40% of those who get it. Variola minor kills only about 1%. Many people who survive become blind because of the damage the virus does to the eyes.

During the first half of the 20th century, between 300 million and 500 million people died of this disease. Even in 1967, about 15 million people caught the disease, and about two million people died of it, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The first vaccine for smallpox used the results of cowpox infections. It was invented by Edward Jenner. It was used to stop people from getting smallpox. The word "vaccine" came from "vaccina", the Latin word for cow, because cowpox was used. The WHO (World Health Organisation) said that they were trying to eradicate (completely destroy) smallpox in 1963. They vaccinated people all over the world. In 1980, the WHO said the disease no longer existed, and no one would ever get sick from it again. However, live copies of smallpox are kept in different maximum-security laboratories around the world.

Treatment for Smallpox

The infected person is immediately placed into strict isolation (as opposed to quarantine, which is used for healthy, asymptomatic people who may have been exposed to the infected person).
Quarantine: Anyone who has come into contact with the infected person for up to 17 days prior to the onset of that infected person's illness (including the treating doctor and nursing staff) may be required to remain in quarantine until a definite diagnosis is made. If the suspected case is indeed smallpox, these individuals will have to remain in quarantine for at least 17 days to ensure that they are not also infected with the virus.
If a person in quarantine develops the signs and symptoms of smallpox infection, they are immediately moved to strict isolation.
The most likely scenario of a smallpox outbreak is from a terrorist attack or a laboratory accident. Given the highly infectious nature of the organism, researchers estimate that one infected person can infect up to 20 new contacts during the infectious stage of the illness. If one infected person appears at a hospital, it is assumed that more people have been infected.
Because of the medical, legal, and social implications of quarantine and isolation, coordinated involvement at the federal, state, and local levels is mandatory. In reality, strict quarantine of a large segment of the population is probably not possible.
Infectious disease specialists are consulted, along with state, federal, and local health authorities.