Pictures Of People With Smallpox

[woodsetton]

Luckily Smallpox was eradicated completely in 1978. However, it wasn't done with humanity yet and killed another person.

Janet Parker, a British medical photographer, died of smallpox in 1978, ten months after the disease was eradicated in the wild, when a researcher at the laboratory Parker worked at accidentally released some virus into the air of the building. She is believed to be the last smallpox fatality in history. ( I borrowed the last paragraph from the Unusual Deaths thread made by the lovely Amy!)

[mirrormere]

Hopefully we have seen the end of this lethal virus. However in recent years the WHO (World Health Organization) and CDC (Centers for Disease Control) have warned about the possible re-emergence of smallpox if used in a terrorist attack.

In 1972, the US discontinued smallpox vaccinations for civilians. In 1980, the WHO declared smallpox eradicated and suggested all countries stop vaccination programs. The WHO also asked, at that time, all countries send their smallpox laboratory samples to the WHO for safe storage. Russia kept its samples and started to experiment with smallpox as a biological weapon during the cold war. There is still believed to be a massive stockpile in Russia and the former Soviet states. There is a small repository that remains at the CDC in Atlanta, GA and other countries likely have undisclosed samples.

In the US, only military personnel, health care workers, and emergency responders may receive the vaccine today. Those given the smallpox vaccine in the past would likely not have continued immunity.

In terms of a terrorist attack, smallpox could easily be deployed in an aerosol and then spread person to person through saliva droplets (by touch, sneezing, coughing, etc.) or even on clothing and linens.

The main problem with any outbreak is that it usually takes at least 50-100 exposures to get enough data to confirm the pathogen and location. Based on data collected from the old strain, smallpox was fatal in 30% of cases. If the virus has not mutated, the vaccine could be effective in preventing or attenuating (lessening the severity) smallpox if given within 1-4days.

What's scary is that the initial symptoms (Vomiting, Diarrhea, Fatigue, High Fever, Severe headache, Backache, etc.) can be easily mistaken for other conditions. Infected individuals are most contagious for the 1st week, develop a raised pink rash which turns into sores that become crusty on day 8 or 9, and can remain contagious until the scabs fall off.

Considering how many people we come into contact with daily this could and would spread like wildfire. Until all stockpiles and lab samples are destroyed smallpox still has a chance, albeit slimmer now then in the past, of coming back with a vengeance and killing many, many people.

[renfairegeek]

Scary shit!

[gibeog]

the military injects soldiers with the smallpox virus, its needed once every 10 years for possible infections. its usually confined to one part of your body, and stays that way if treated properly.

[Faline]

Smallpox, 1896

[Spiffyfable]

Scary shit... hope that doesn't make a comeback!

[MeMyselfandI]

[carkees]

Friggin' hell....

[Mistress Eva]

Interesting side note: The only people that have natural resistance to AIDS are the same people who inherited a small pox resistant gene that developed in a small percentage of Europeans. Apparently, the two diseases are quite similar.

[Rusty666]

bummer