You may have heard about smallpox and wondered what it is or whether you or
anyone you know could get it. Some people are concerned that someday the germ
that causes smallpox could be spread by people who want to use the disease as a
weapon. But the chance of this happening is small, and the government and police
are working on ways to protect us.
In the meantime, learning about smallpox may help you feel less scared of it.
So here are answers to some questions you might have:
- What is smallpox?
Smallpox is a very serious illness
caused by a virus called the
variola (say: vair-ee-oh-luh)
virus. Smallpox gets its name from the pus-filled blisters
(or pocks) that form during the illness. Although the names may sound alike,
smallpox is not related to chicken pox, which
is a milder disease caused by a different virus.
Although people are
concerned that the smallpox virus might be used as a weapon, this would be
difficult for anyone to do. Right now, there are no cases of
smallpox disease in the United States. In fact, the last case of smallpox in
the United States was in 1949, and the last case in the world was in 1977.
Some samples of the virus that causes the disease are still kept in
laboratories, though.
- How is smallpox spread?
Smallpox is contagious. That
means the virus can spread to others. It spreads through tiny drops of the
infected person's saliva (spit) when the person
coughs, talks, or sneezes. Smallpox usually passes from person to person
during close, face-to-face contact. It can also spread from the fluid in the
blisters on an infected person's skin or from blankets, towels, or clothes
that have touched the infected person, but this is less common.
- How is it diagnosed?
If someone does get smallpox, a
doctor can recognize the disease because it causes a special kind of rash. The rash shows up
as blisters on the skin that fill with fluid and crust over. This may sound
like chicken pox, but the blisters look different from the blisters that
chicken pox causes. The other symptoms of smallpox are like those of many
other less serious illnesses: fever, headache, backache, and
feeling tired.
- What is the smallpox vaccine?
A
vaccine (say: vak-seen), a type of shot, can prevent
infection with the virus that causes smallpox. Years ago, people were
vaccinated against smallpox. Today, smallpox vaccines aren't given because
nobody has had the disease for many years.
Although you can't - and
don't need to - get a smallpox vaccine right now, there is a supply of the
vaccine in case there's an outbreak of the disease. Scientists are also
working to make more vaccine to have on hand for the future.
- Are there medicines to take for smallpox?
There are no
pills that can treat smallpox, but scientists are doing research to try to
develop medicine for the disease. If someone does become infected with the
smallpox virus, getting the vaccine within a few days of becoming infected can
lessen the disease's symptoms.
If you still feel scared when you hear about smallpox, remember that it's
very unlikely that you, your family, or anyone you know will ever come in
contact with the virus that causes it. To feel better, talk to your teacher or
parent - he or she can help you find the answers to any other questions you may
have. Updated and reviewed by: Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph,
MD Date reviewed: November 2003 Originally reviewed by: Frederick A. Meier, MD, and Neil
Izenberg, MD
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