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Smallpox: Smallpox Vaccination
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Smallpox has been identified as a potential biological weapon. It would wreak havoc in an unvaccinated population, and it would be difficult for a vulnerable nation to mount an effective vaccination campaign in time to prevent national devastation. However, attackers who used smallpox as a weapon would have to ensure that they were all vaccinated, and it would be difficult to conceal a vaccination program against smallpox from the world.
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Smallpox is a highly infectious viral disease caused by the variola virus. Smallpox was common prior to and during the nineteenth century, but in 1977 the disease was eliminated from the world. In 1980, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared smallpox extinct and recommended that all countries cease vaccination. However, the virus is still maintained at laboratories at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States and at the Institute of Virus Preparations in Moscow, Russia.
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Smallpox is an infection caused by the virus called variola (pronounced vuh-RY-uh-luh). Throughout history, smallpox has been a greatly feared disease. It has been responsible for huge epidemics worldwide. The disease has caused great suffering and many deaths. Smallpox is now thought to have been eliminated from the Earth. In 1980 the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the disease had been wiped out by a bold program of vaccination.
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Smallpox is an acute contagious disease caused by Variola virus, a member of the orthopoxvirus family. It was one of the world's most feared diseases until it was eradicated by a collaborative global vaccination programme led by the World Health Organization. The last known natural case was in Somalia in 1977. Since then, the only known cases were caused by a laboratory accident in 1978 in Birmingham, England, which killed one person and caused a limited outbreak. Smallpox was officially declared eradicated in 1979.
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Smallpox is highly contagious, but generally spreads more slowly and less widely than some other viral diseases, perhaps because transmission requires close contact and occurs after the onset of the rash. The overall rate of infection is ... affected by the short duration of the infectious stage. In temperate areas, the number of smallpox infections were highest during the winter and spring. In tropical areas, seasonal variation was less evident and the disease was present throughout the year.[13] Age distribution of smallpox infections depends on acquired immunity. Vaccination immunity declines over time and is probably lost in all but the most recently vaccinated populations.[4] Smallpox is not known to be transmitted by insects or animals and there is no asymptomatic carrier state.[13]
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Smallpox is a disease of humans. However, there are closely related viruses that can infect animals. While dogs have a very low risk of any reaction if they accidentally touch the vaccinia virus in the vaccination site (including the scab), some animals, such as hamsters, may be more likely to have a reaction to an exposure. The best way to avoid a problem is to protect your pets from any possible contact with the vaccinia virus during the 3 week period after you have been vaccinated. Until it completely heals, you should keep the vaccination site bandaged and covered with long-sleeve clothing at all times, including while you sleep.
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Smallpox Vaccination