Small Pox

Small Pox Essay, Research Paper

Small Pox

Small pox, which was once the most feared disease known by mankind started

out in the days of Christopher Columbus. The disease set out to change the

lives of the people in the worse way. It became known as an epidemic disease

that ended up killing hundreds of people. Small pox started out in Hispaniola

and because of no cure, it traveled to the island of Puerto Rico, and then Cuba.

It was only a matter of time until it spread to the mainland, somewhere in

America. In the Middle Ages, small pox was a highly contagious disease which

often lead to death if not treated. In this term paper you will read and learn

about the causes, symptoms and treatments of this horrible disease.

Small pox which was often refereed to as a life threatening disease, is

caused by a virus, which was not discovered until the nineteenth century. Most

of the victims whom acquired small pox, was a result of face to face contact.

It is passed through the nose where tiny particles are released when the

infected person sneezes, also by the mouth where particles are once again

ejected when the victim coughs. The disease can be transmitted by dried small

pox scabs and through materials the infected person has come in contact with.

The virus is reproduced in the lymphoid tissue and released into the body.

Virus reproduction begins when the virion comes into contact with a suitable

host cell. The virus must interact with a receptor on the cell surface. The

infectious cycle usually consists of two stages. The first stage makes the

proteins necessary for the protein to form. The second stage forms the adult

virion to start the attack on the body. Smallpox attack with no warning.

There are several painful symptoms that are brought upon by this disease.

In most of the cases, symptoms in a new victim will occur ten to twelve days

later. Patients will develop chills, high fever, and nausousness. The fevers

may reach up to 105 degrees farenht. In three or four days later a rash erupts

and the fever and discomfort may subside. It begins on the face, then spreading

to the chest, arms, back and finally the legs. It consists of hard red lumps

which become pimple like, swelling and containing puss. “The pustules gave the

disease its name, by which it was first known in the west as Variola” (Giblin

59). This rash itches severely but scratching must be avoided in order to

prevent another infection from forming. “Up to forty percent of the patients

died, in the rest, scabs eventually formed and then fell off, leaving permanent

pits and scars in the skin” ( Lawrence 365). Some of the patients were also

left blinded. The victims who were faced with this dreadful disease, suffered

terribly. In some cases if sever enough the patient would lose the battle with

smallpox and die. Sometimes the rash would never heal completely and cause an

acne type look on the persons body. There is no medication to clear up the acne

it is perminit, sometimes worse than others.

In 1796, Edward Jenner, a British physician, developed the first vaccine

to prevent small pox (Johnston 92). At the age of eight he experienced a

painful fight with small pox. This was his inspiration to discover a method to

prevent the suffering of small pox victims. The news of this marvelous

development spread quickly and it was soon used widely around the world. During

the 1800’s many countries required everyone as a law, to receive the vaccine.

It was recognized that the vaccine was the best quality and the disease

continued to spread. The vaccination contained the virus that causes cowpox,

this disease is similar to small pox but a milder form. This causes the

production of antibodies that give protection against both cowpox and small pox.

There is no specific treatment for small pox. Due to the disease being so

contagious, patients need to be isolated until they are completely recovered.

The sores must be kept clean and penicillin and sulfa medications are sometimes

given to prevent further infections. However, after a person has come across

the disease and recovers from it they become permanently immune to the virus.

Jenner later promoted the smallpox vaccination and ultimately wiped the virus

clear out. Since then there has only been one case of smallpox but they are not

certain that it really was the smallpox virus or just a clone of a chicken pox

virus. Vaccinations only work depending on ones immune system if it is weak the

vaccine will not take.

The number of small pox infected countries gradually decreased. ” In

April 1978, WHO ( world health organization) officials announced the world’s

last known case of naturally occurring small pox had been found in Somalia in

October 1977″ ( Fetzer 513). When small pox it the world it came down like a

ton of bricks. So many people lost their lives to this horrifying disease. ”

Small pox was once the worst scourges ever to afflict humankind, surpassing

cholera, bubonic plague, and yellow fever in time span and geographical

coverage” ( Time 17). Due to the dedication of Edward Jenner and his discovery

of the cowpox vaccine, many people were saved from the pains and suffering of

the ugliest disease of the middle ages. This also saved many people from ding

and spreading the disease to others. Now at birth people are given this vaccine

along with others to stop the cathging of other diseases and to most importantly

stop the spread of deadly diseases. The time period of smallpox was a bad one

do to all the other terrible plagues such as the black plague, shingles, and the

terrible venereal diseases of the times like oral herpes and hepatitis. There

is a vaccine now for all the terrible plagues so there is nomore real concern

about stuff like smallpox the big thing today is AIDS.