Since time immemorial, we, the human beings, have been faced with a wide variety of illnesses and infections.
Diseases can be divided into two main categories: Communicable and Non-communicable. Communicable are those which can be transmitted from one person to the other, through body fluids, skin contact and even sharing of body items among others. The question is, what is the smallpox?
Smallpox is a highly infectious disease and affects only humans. It is caused by viral pathogens, mainly the Variola minor and Variola major. It was first discovered in Europe, in the 15th Century. The doctors were in the process of distinguishing it to Great Pox, popularly known as Syphilis. The name Variola, which is the Latin version of the disease, is a rough definition of pimple-like growth on the body. It can also mean spots on the skin.
The main relationship between Smallpox and Syphilis can be traced to the vaccine of Smallpox. The scientific name of the vaccine is the Vaccina virus. According to scientists, the vaccine was discovered in 1976 by Ed Jenner. The source has been kept a secret because of the 'uncouth' and unusual ways in which Ed stumbled upon the vaccine. He discovered it by observing the syphilic hands of milk maidens working on the udders of cows, causing irritation and thus leading to sores. That un-scientific and crude process led to the product, the vaccine.
Many people including health workers confuse Smallpox with Chickenpox because of the similarity in names and symptoms among others. If chickenpox is a highly contagious disease that is very similar to the smallpox, how can we distinguish between them? One difference is that Chickenpox is cause by the Varicella zoster virus (VZV) unlike the Smallpox which is caused by the Variola.
Another differences is that symptoms of Smallpox include a full body rush that is more intense in the arms, legs and feet. The rush of the Chickenpox is lesser on the arms, legs and feet. There is also fever which starts two to four days before the rash occurs, unlike the chickenpox where the fever comes at the same time with the rash. In Smallpox, the pocks of the rash develop in all the body parts in the same progress and they develop slowly over time. In Chickenpox, the rash develops at different stages on different body parts and they develop rapidly over a short period of time.Sore throats, headaches and fever are the most common signs of Chickenpox. High fevers, headaches and back aches are the main signs of Smallpox.
So what is smallpox? Though highly contagious and very extreme, it has been contained and it can be easily treated by the vaccine. As of Chickenpox, there is no known vaccine. The infected people are given a series of treatments to alleviate the symptoms. The body naturally clears the virus from the system. After infection, the body is immune to further infections of Chickenpox. As of Smallpox, getting the vaccine a few days after infection, can lessen the chances of the disease developing and it can be contained.
The bottom line is that although we think that Smallpox have been vanished from the world, after the Anthrax attacks on USE in 2001, the fear that some samples are in hands of terrorist raised.
Fortunately, the known vaccine has proved to be very effective and some new research trying to develop a much more improved vaccine formula for any threat we could have.
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