Smallpox, also called the bladder, is an infectious disease caused by the Orthopoxvirus variolae virus .
Along with the black plague, tuberculosis and AIDS, smallpox is considered one of the most deadly diseases on the planet. It affects the immune system causing several deformations in the skin.
The average mortality of those infected is around 30%. Currently, the United States and Russia have the smallpox virus in the laboratory.
Did you know?
The smallpox virus is one of the largest that affects humans, about 300 nanometers in diameter. Note that it affects only humans and is therefore its primary host.
Want to know more about the topic? Read the articles:
- Virus
- Immune system
- Black Plague
- Tuberculosis
- AIDS
Smallpox History
Smallpox is a very old disease that was detected thousands of years ago. Everything indicates that the virus already infected people before the Christian Era. However, the causes of the disease were unknown.
In 430 BC, there was an outbreak of the disease in Greece that killed about a third of the population.
In addition, it affected much of the Roman civilization, and later came to the American continent. This was due to the great navigations in the 16th century.
At the time, the disease was brought by Europeans and wiped out a large part of pre-Columbian civilizations (Aztecs and Incas). In Brazil, the disease affected a large part of the indigenous population that lived here.
The creation of the vaccine against the disease was essential for population control. It was discovered by the British physician Edward Jenner (1749-1823) in the 18th century.
Fortunately, with medical advances, smallpox was declared extinct by the World Health Organization in the early 1980s. The last case of smallpox occurred in Somalia, Africa, in October 1977.
Streaming
Smallpox is a very contagious disease transmitted by the infected person’s secretions and saliva. The pustules that form on the patient’s body have a liquid (similar to pus) that contains the virus.
Therefore, people who have the disease should remain isolated during treatment and avoid sharing objects.
Symptoms
The incubation period for the virus is approximately two weeks. The main symptoms of smallpox are:
- High fever
- Nausea and vomiting
- Headache
- Body pain
- Malaise
- Prostration
- Pustules on the body
- Itching
Treatment
There is no specific treatment for curing the disease. Therefore, the patient should avoid contact with others, remain at rest and take medication to relieve symptoms (fever, itching, pain).
Smallpox in Brazil
The first case of smallpox in Brazil occurred in 1563, on the island of Itaparica, in Bahia. As it is very contagious, it ended up spreading to the rest of the country.
With the appearance of the vaccine in the early 19th century, it was brought to the country. However, the number of cases was still large.
The Vaccine Revolt (1904) represented a popular rebellion that took place in Rio de Janeiro.
The physician Osvaldo Cruz (1872-1917), Director of Public Health at the time, was hired to fight smallpox. Thus, mandatory vaccination against the disease was imposed on every Brazilian over six months of age.
The population refused to take the vaccine and, therefore, the campaign was carried out against the will of the people.
The concern with public health was increasing more and more, and in 1962, the Ministry of Health created the “National Campaign Against Smallpox”.
Four years later (1966), the “Smallpox Eradication Campaign” was created, which presented more expressive results than the previous one. About 80% of the population has been vaccinated, thus reducing the number of cases of the disease in the country.
The last episodes of smallpox in Brazil took place in the early 1970s, in Rio de Janeiro. Since then, there are no more cases in the country.
Prevention
Since there is no cure, the smallpox vaccine is the only way to prevent the disease virus.