smallpox
Sign in to saveSmallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) certified the global eradication of the disease in 1980, making smallpox the only human disease to have been eradicated.
AI overview
Smallpox was a serious infectious disease caused by the Variola virus that once spread among humans but was eliminated through global vaccination efforts. It holds historic significance as the only human disease that has been completely eradicated worldwide, with the last natural case occurring in 1977 and eradication officially certified by the WHO in 1980.
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Key facts
- Medical condition.synonyms
- variola, variola vera, pox, red plague
- Medical condition.image
- Child with Smallpox Bangladesh.jpg
- Medical condition.caption
- A child with smallpox in Bangladesh in 1973. The bumps filled with thick fluid and a depression or dimple in the center are characteristic.
- Medical condition.field
- Infectious disease
- Medical condition.complications
- Scarring of the skin, blindness
- Medical condition.onset
- 1 to 3 weeks following exposure
- Medical condition.duration
- About 4 weeks
- Medical condition.causes
- variola major virus, variola minor virus (spread between people)
- Medical condition.diagnosis
- Based on symptoms and confirmed by PCR
- Medical condition.differential
- Chickenpox, impetigo, molluscum contagiosum, mpox
- Medical condition.prevention
Article
39 sectionsContents
- Classification
- Signs and symptoms
- Ordinary
- Confluent
- Modified
- Malignant
- Hemorrhagic
- Early
- Late
- Cause
- Evolution
- Virology
- Variola major
- Variola minor
- Genome composition
- Gene expression
- Research
- Genetic engineering
- Controversies
- Transmission
- Mechanism
- Diagnosis
- Prevention
- Treatment
- Prognosis
- Complications
- History
- Disease emergence
- Eradication
- Costs and benefits
- Since eradication
- Society and culture
- Biological warfare
- Notable cases
- Tradition and religion
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) certified the global eradication of the disease in 1980, making smallpox the only human disease to have been eradicated.
The initial symptoms of the disease included fever and vomiting. This was followed by formation of ulcers in the mouth and a skin rash. Over a number of days, the skin rash turned into the characteristic fluid-filled blisters with a dent in the center. The bumps then scabbed over and fell off, leaving scars. The disease was transmitted from one person to another primarily through prolonged face-to-face contact with an infected person or rarely via contaminated objects. Prevention was achieved mainly through the smallpox vaccine. Once the disease had developed, certain antiviral medications could have helped, but such medications did not become available until after the disease was eradicated. The risk of death was about 30%, with higher rates among babies. Often, those who survived had extensive scarring of their skin, and some were left blind.