Small Pox - Research Paper Example

Smallpox of the Biology of the Concerned February 18, Smallpox Variola Virus, the Virus that Causes Smallpox (Todar, 2009) Historically speaking, smallpox has been known to cause epidemic situations the world over. It mostly affected children and young adults. The agent of smallpox is a virus known by the name Variola Virus, which happens to be a member of the Poxviridae Family (Todar, 2009). All the Poxviruses are usually very large, ovoid and dsDNA viruses (Todar, 2009). There are two strains of Variola, less dangerous Variola Minor and the one with a very high mortality rate that is Variola Major (Todar, 2009).

Variola virus has been known to exist in the human populations since ages. Smallpox can readily spread from one individual to other through saliva droplets (Tucker, 2001). Smallpox could also spread from the clothes and bedding of the infected person (Tucker, 2001). It is during the first week of the infection that smallpox happens to be most contagious. Until the rash scabs of an infected patient fall off, the virus continuous to be contagious. The smallpox virus infiltrates the human body through respiratory tract (Todar, 2009).

It permeates the human mucous membrane and spread and multiplies in the associated lymph nodes, before making its way to the rest of the human organ systems (Todar, 2009). The incubation time of smallpox varies from 1 to 12 days (Tucker, 2001). The symptoms of smallpox emerge within 12 to 14 days after a patient catches the smallpox virus (Tucker, 2001). The varied symptoms of smallpox include prominent pink rashes that turn into crusty sores by the 8th or 9th day of getting infected, vomiting, backache, delirium, severe headache, malaise, diarrhea, high fever, fatigue and excessive bleeding (PubMed Health, 2012) .

These symptoms may be accompanied by additional complications like bone infections, skin infections, severe bleeding, pneumonia, and eye infections (PubMed Health, 2012). The salient laboratory tests that are used to diagnose smallpox include white blood cell count, DIC panel and platelet count (PubMed Health, 2012). In the context of the treatment, if the person contacting smallpox is vaccinated within 1 to 4 days, this may prevent illness or may perhaps make the intensity of illness less severe (PubMed Health, 2012).

However, once a patient develops full blown symptoms of smallpox, there is no treatment for smallpox. There is no salt or drug that can be used to treat smallpox. However, many a times the smallpox patients are administered antibiotics to treat associated infections that may develop along with smallpox (Todar, 2009). Individuals who are positively diagnosed of smallpox and the people who came in contact with them need to be immediately quarantined and urgently vaccinated while being kept under constant monitoring.

In populations in which the occurrence of smallpox is detected, the concerned health authorities are immediately required to take emergency measures to prevent the spread of the disease. During the decades when smallpox was widely prevalent, the disease commanded a high mortality rate of 30 percent. In the past when the occurrences of smallpox were common, people used to get vaccinated against smallpox. Now, as the smallpox virus had been totally eradicated, people are not more vaccinated against smallpox.

ReferencesSmallpox. (2012). PubMed Health. Retrieved February 18,2012 from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002332/ Todar, Kenneth. (2009). The Microbial World: Smallpox. University of Wisconsin-Madison.Retrieved February 18, 2012 from: http://textbookofbacteriology.net/themicrobialworld/Smallpox.htmlTucker, Jonathan B. (2001). Scourge: The Once and Future Threat of Smallpox. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press.