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Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. [7] [11] 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, [10] making smallpox the only human disease to have been eradicated to date.
Diseases associated with this genus include smallpox, cowpox, horsepox, camelpox, and mpox. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] The most widely known member of the genus is Variola virus , which causes smallpox. It was eradicated globally by 1977, through the use of Vaccinia virus as a vaccine .
The virus is usually transmitted by prolonged face-to-face contact with a person showing symptoms. The incubation period averages 12–14 days. [18] One of the most feared diseases of human history, smallpox was still causing an estimated 2 million deaths every year as late as 1967. [19] [20] Smallpox virus
The name of the family, Poxviridae, is a legacy of the original grouping of viruses associated with diseases that produced poxes on the skin.Modern viral classification is based on phenotypic characteristics; morphology, nucleic acid type, mode of replication, host organisms, and the type of disease they cause.
The Massachusetts smallpox epidemic or colonial epidemic was a smallpox outbreak that hit Massachusetts in 1633. [1] Smallpox outbreaks were not confined to 1633 however, and occurred nearly every ten years. [2] Smallpox was caused by two different types of variola viruses: variola major and variola minor. [3]
Smallpox was a dangerous disease caused by the variola major virus. The most common type of smallpox, ordinary, historically has devastated populations with a 30% death rate. The smallpox virus is transmittable through bodily fluids and materials contaminated with infected materials.
Initial Symptoms Blister Agents Lewisite Gas: colorless Odor: geraniums Seconds to minutes Eye irritation, coughing, sneezing, and vomiting Mustard Gas: colorless Odor: horseradish, onions, or garlic; or fishy, musty, soapy, or almonds Minutes to hours Burning eyes, eyelid swelling, repeated blinking, sneezing, nasal secretion, sore throat, and
Smallpox is an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants named Variola major and Variola minor, with the latter typically producing a milder disease. [1] The World Health Organization (WHO) had established a smallpox eradication programme and, by 1978, was close to declaring that the disease had been eradicated ...