What Are the Symptoms of Smallpox?

Smallpox is a severe infectious disease caused by smallpox virus infection in humans. After recovery, smallpox can get lifelong immunity. Smallpox is one of the oldest and most infectious infectious diseases. It is highly contagious and severely ill. People who have not had smallpox or have not been vaccinated against smallpox can be infected, mainly as severe viremia. After infection, The mortality rate is high. The most basic and effective method of prevention is vaccination. The clinical manifestations of smallpox are severe and light. The mortality rate of severe smallpox is about 25.5%, fusion rash occurs in 45% of cases, and bleeding occurs in 79%. The mortality rate of smallpox is 0.1% to 1.0%. Smallpox virus is a type of poxvirus. After a person is infected, there is no specific cure for it. Patients will have hemp left on their face after healing. The name "smallpox". The smallpox virus has a brick-like appearance, about 200nm × 300nm, has strong resistance, can resist dryness and low temperature, and can survive for months to a year and a half on bark skin, dust, and clothing.

• TA says

How did the Qing Dynasty without vaccine fight against "smallpox"? 2018-07-12 20:07

Diseases such as "smallpox" are now relatively new to most people, and may only be heard in film and television works. In fact, the smallpox raged during the Ming and Qing dynasties, which caused a large number of deaths, and even seriously affected the administration of the early Qing Dynasty. ... more

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Basic Information

English name

smallpox

Visiting department

Infectious Diseases

Common causes

Smallpox virus

Common symptoms

Chills, high fever, fatigue, headache, sore limbs and lower back

Contagious

Have

way for spreading

Inhalation of droplets, direct contact

Cause of smallpox

The smallpox virus mainly invades the human body through the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, and is transmitted through inhalation of droplets or direct contact. Smallpox virus has two types of virus strains with different virulence. The strong virulence causes positive smallpox, which is typical of smallpox; the weaker causes light smallpox, which is similar to smallpox.

Clinical manifestations of smallpox

Mainly symptoms of severe toxemia (chills, high fever, fatigue, headache, sore limbs and lower back, convulsions and coma may occur when body temperature rises sharply), skin rashes, papules, herpes, pustules appear in batches in the order, exfoliation, leaving acne scars. Smallpox is fierce and develops rapidly, with a lethality of up to 30% within 15-20 days after infection in non-immunized people.

Three to five days after the onset, the patient developed a rash on the forehead, cheeks, wrists, arms, trunk, and lower limbs. It started as a red spotted rash, then turned into pimples. After 2 to 3 days, the pimples turned into herpes, and herpes turned into pustules later. 2 to 3 days after the formation of impetigo, it gradually shrinks into thick palate, and the palate skin begins to fall off after about 1 month, leaving scars, commonly known as "macular spots". Severe smallpox patients are often accompanied by complications such as sepsis, osteomyelitis, encephalitis, meningitis, pneumonia, bronchitis, otitis media, laryngitis, blindness, and abortion, which are the main causes of death from smallpox.

Smallpox treatment

So far, no effective treatment has been identified for smallpox. Patients infected with smallpox must be strictly quarantined until they are cured, and the quarantine period must not be less than 40 days after onset. Clothing, appliances, respiratory secretions, and herpes exudates need to be sterilized. Persons who come into contact with patients should immediately get acne. Patients are usually treated with supportive therapy, given sufficient water and nutrition, such as intravenous electrolytes, nutrition or medicine to control high fever or pain, and at the same time antibiotics for young people who are weak to prevent bacterial infection following variola virus infection , Strengthen care and keep eyes, mouth, nose and skin clean. Symptomatic treatment of corneal ulcers, rashes, etc.

Smallpox prevention

The disease is mainly prevention, and smallpox vaccine (vaccination) is recommended.