Smallpox
Einstein Health Glossary
ICD 10 - B03
What is smallpox?
Smallpox is a highly contagious viral disease that caused sequelae and was often fatal, but was eradicated through vaccination.
Symptoms
Symptoms of smallpox include high fever, headache, fatigue, and lesions on the skin and mucous membranes. These eruptions become painful blisters that produce fluid and pus, itch, and form a crust.
Causes
Smallpox is caused by an orthopoxvirus, through contact with lesions, secretions, and contaminated materials. However, the virus has been eradicated and is now only found in high-security laboratories.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of smallpox is made by medical evaluation of symptoms. The disease was eradicated in 1980.
Prevention method
Prevention of smallpox is through vaccination. Today, it is not part of the routine immunization schedule because the virus no longer circulates globally. The disease was eradicated in 1980.
Treatment
Today, the smallpox virus is only found in high-security laboratories. The vaccine can be used up to four days after infection to prevent deaths and severe cases. New drugs have been developed but have not been tested in humans because the disease has been eradicated.
Duration
Smallpox can be fatal within two weeks. The most infectious period is the first week of symptoms, but the infected person continued to transmit the virus until the last lesion heal.
Is it contagious?
Smallpox is highly contagious. It spreads through contact with saliva droplets, wounds, or contaminated objects. Contagion begins when the first lesions appear in the mouth and throat.
Can it be contracted more than once?
People who survived smallpox developed antibodies that prevent a second infection. Today, the disease no longer circulates, and vaccines exist to prevent it.