SMALL POX By: Harrison Keyes

WHAT Small pox, know as Variola Major and Variola Minor to the latins. Small pox can be found in small blood vessels of the skin and in the mouth and throat. Small pox starts as a rash called maculopapular rash and it progresses to fluid filled blisters.

WHEN Small Pox is believed to come about in human population in 10,000 BC. Small pox killed an estimated 400,000 Europeans each year in the early 18 th century that includes 5 ruling kings. Small pox has also caused a third of all blindness and 80 % of all infected children have died.

HOW Small Pox is transmitted by inhaling of the airborne illness Variola virus. It can be caught from up to 6 feet away when face to face with an infected person. Although it is an infectious disease it is not as fast and widely spread as others because it is usually transmitted through close contact and until the rash appears it is not contagious.

SYMPTOMS Small pox has two clinical forms. Variola major is the most common with a bigger rash and higher fever. There are four types of Variola major: Ordinary, Modified, Flat, and Hemorrhagic. Variola major has about a 30% fatality rate; however the Hemorrhagic is usually fatal.

WHERE Small Pox virus attacks skin cells, causing the pimples. Rashes develop on the skin 24 to 48 hours after you get infected. Usually the pimples first appear on the forehead, then rapidly spread to the whole face. This process takes no more than 24 to 36 hours. After this process Variola Major infection can take sever very different courses.

TREATMENTS Smallpox vaccination within three days of exposure will prevent or significantly lessen the smallpox symptoms in the vast majority of people. Vaccination four to seven days after exposure likely offers some protection from disease or may modify the strength of the disease. Other than vaccination, treatment of smallpox is primarily supportive, such as wound care and infection control and fluid therapy.