Smallpox: Let's learn about the deadly disease that has been eradicated from the world.

You may have heard about 'smallpox' from your grandparents. At that time, it was considered a very dangerous and deadly disease. The good news is that this disease has now been completely eradicated from the world. But today we will talk about what this smallpox, which has claimed the lives of millions throughout history, is, how it spread, and what are the symptoms.

What exactly is smallpox?

Simply put, smallpox was a serious infectious disease caused by a virus that is no longer found naturally in the world. It spread from person to person. A person with smallpox usually developed symptoms such as fever, body aches, and a rash with blisters that spread all over the body.

It was a deadly disease. About 30% of those who contracted smallpox died . It killed between 300 and 500 million people worldwide in the 1900s alone, before the disease was eradicated in 1980. The World Health Organization (WHO) called smallpox “one of the most devastating diseases ever known to mankind.”

Historians believe that smallpox is a disease that is more than 3,000 years old. This is because lesions similar to smallpox have been found in Egyptian mummies. With the development of civilization, the disease spread throughout the world through trade routes.

Over time, people realized that once a person had smallpox and recovered, they could not get it again. Later, an English doctor named Edward Jenner discovered that humans could be protected from smallpox by injecting a non-lethal smallpox virus (Cowpox) that affects cows.

In 1967, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a massive plan to eradicate smallpox from the world through a widespread vaccination program. As a result, no smallpox cases were reported after 1977. In 1980, it was officially declared completely eradicated from the world.

To date, a very small amount of this virus is kept under very high security conditions in the United States and Russia for research purposes only.

How to recognize the symptoms of smallpox?

The name smallpox comes from the main symptom of this disease, which is small blisters that appear on the face, hands, and body and later fill with pus .

Other symptoms may include:

• Feeling lifeless and feverish
• Severe headache
• Body pain
• An unbearable backache
• Sometimes vomiting
• High fever
• Sores and blisters inside the mouth. Through these, the virus enters the throat.
• A skin rash that gradually worsens
• Blisters near the eyes, sometimes causing blindness

Incubation Period of the Disease

On average, it takes about 10-12 days for symptoms to appear after the virus enters the body. However, sometimes this period can be as short as 7 days or as long as 17 days. The virus does not show any symptoms in the first few days after entering the body.

It is only after a patient has a fever that the disease begins to spread to another person.

Symptoms include high fever, malaise, vomiting, and body aches. About two days later, a red, flat rash appears on the skin. This starts in the mouth and throat, then spreads to the face and hands, and spreads to the entire body within 24 hours.

What is the nature of the blisters?

Smallpox blisters cover the entire body from head to toe. Here's how these blisters change throughout the course of the disease:

• It first starts as flat red spots inside the mouth and spreads throughout the body within 24 hours.
• These spots then turn into raised blisters filled with clear fluid.
• Within a day or two, these blisters turn into pus-filled blisters.
• In about a week, these blisters dry up and a crust forms on top.
• These crusts will fall off within the next 3-4 weeks, but they can cause permanent scarring .

Are smallpox and chickenpox the same thing?

Many people confuse smallpox and chickenpox. Although both are viral diseases that cause blisters on the skin, there are clear differences between the two.

What causes this disease and how does it spread?

Smallpox is caused by a virus called Variola. There were two main forms of this virus. The most dangerous type was Variola major, which killed about 30% of those who contracted it. The other type, Variola minor, caused a less severe disease, which killed about 1%.

Smallpox spreads from person to person. The disease begins with a fever. The disease can be spread by breathing in droplets of saliva when someone coughs, sneezes, or talks. It can also be spread by touching an infected person's clothing, bedding, or body fluids. The disease is not spread by animals or insects.

What are the diagnosis and treatment methods?

Smallpox has not been reported for decades, so it can be difficult for even a doctor to immediately diagnose the disease. The disease is confirmed by testing a tissue sample from a smallpox blister. Even a single case is considered a global health emergency.

There are several antiviral drugs approved for use in the event of an outbreak. Examples include tecovirimat (TPOXX) and brincidofovir (Tembexa). These have been shown to inhibit the growth of the smallpox virus. These drugs are stockpiled by countries around the world for emergencies.

Smallpox vaccine and related stories

Have you ever seen the round welts on your parents' or grandparents' arms? That's the mark of the smallpox vaccine. These welts aren't caused by the needle used to inject the vaccine. They're the result of the body's immune system's reaction to the live vaccinia virus in the vaccine.

At the site of the vaccination, a blister with a sore and an itch first forms. This blister then dries out, leaving the round scar. The formation of this scar indicates that the vaccine has been successfully administered and the body has developed immunity.

After 1972, many countries, including Sri Lanka, stopped giving smallpox vaccines to the general public. Therefore, today's younger generation has not been given this vaccine.

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