Smallpox
I am going to be telling you all about smallpox
WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!
WARNING THIS MAY CONTAIN DISTURBING PHOTOS. IF YOU DO NOT ENJOY REALLY, REALLY NASTY THINGS LOOK AWAY RIGHT NOW. THANK YOU AND ENJOY THE PRESENTATION!
What is smallpox?
Smallpox is an acute, contagious, and sometimes fatal disease called variola virus. In 1980 the disease was declared eradicated from different worldwide vaccination programs.
What causes the disease?
Smallpox can be transmitted through air droplets that escape when a infected person coughs or sneezes. It can spread through contact with contaminated clothing and bedding.
What are the symptoms?
- fever
- overall discomfort
- headache
- severe back pain
- vomiting
- Within a few days, flat red spots appear on your face, hands, and forearms. One to two days later lesions turn into small blisters filled with clear fluid which turns into pus.
More information about smallpox
If somebody had small pox and survived they would not get smallpox ever again. It is more contagious in the first week, it may still be contagious after the scabs are gone and the virus can stay alive for 6 to 24 hours.
Can it be prevented?
Even though this disease has been deemed eradicated, in the case of an outbreak people with smallpox would be put in isolation so they could get a smallpox vaccine.
Can it be treated or cured?
There is no cure for smallpox but in 1980 it was eradicated from the world.
PUMP IT UP
Smallpox can be a global threat because it could be a weapon for biological and chemical warfare and for bioterriosm. The last case of smallpox in the United States was in 1949. There have been an estimated 300 million deaths from smallpox in the 20th century.
Research info
The smallpox virus is still alive today but it is safely stored by scientists in laboratories being studied in a unknown location.