pathogens
smallpox
The truth behind smallpox
Don't let the name SMALL pox fool you it's actually a very dangerous illness. you see after only a couple days of this illness hundreds of native American tribes were infected and wiped out due to a lack of modern medicine, and a lack of resistance.
How this deadly strain is contracted.
Smallpox localized in small blood vessels of the skin and in the mouth and throat. In the skin it resulted in a characteristic rash and, later, raised fluid-filled blister. V. major produces a more serious disease and has an overall mortality rate of 30–35%. V. minor causes a milder form of disease (also known as alastrim, cottonpox, milkpox, whitepox, and Cuban itch) which kills about 1% of its victims. Long-term complications of V. major infection include characteristic scars, commonly on the face, which occur in 65–85% of survivors. blindness resulting from corneal ulceration and scarring, and limb deformities due to arthritis are less common complications, seen in about 2–5% of cases.
long term effects
The tongue and the inside of the mouth will present with tiny red dots that will progress to open sores which will shed the virus from the mucosa into the mouth, thereby spreading the disease further throughout the body.
common targets
The most common victims for small pox are kids, you see children's immune systems don't always develop a quick immunity to it and so they sometimes can become very ill.
locations
not one documented naturally occurring case of this highly infectious, deadly disease has occurred since Oct. 26, 1977. (An unvaccinated hospital cook in Somalia was the last person to naturally contract smallpox.)
treatment
There are currently no proven remedies that can kill the smallpox virus. Therefore, treatments for smallpox focus on providing relief of symptoms as the body fights the virus. This is called supportive care.