Small Pox Vaccine, Symptoms and Treatment of Small Pox Disease
Small Pox Vaccine Information
Small pox is an infectious disease caused by variola virus - a member of the pox family of viruses and unrelated to chickenpox which it physically resembles, but which is in the herpes virus family.
The vaccine for small pox was the first vaccine ever developed. In fact, the term "vaccine" comes from the Latin word for cow, vaccinus , since the original small pox vaccine was made using the cow pox virus.
There are two forms of small pox: variola major and variola minor . Variola major has a case fatality rate of approximately 25%, while variola minor, a less virulent form, has a case fatality rate below 1%. Although the two forms cause disease of different severity, they are indistinguishable from one another.
Small pox Symptoms
There is a sudden onset of very high fever with very severe headache and pain in the back and a flushed face. On the third day reddish blisters appear on the face and then on the wrists . After the eruption the fever usually goes down. It's at its worst on the 8th or 9th day after which it dries up with a tough brown scab which takes several weeks to fall off. The danger of the infec tion is greatest when the scabs begin to fall off.
Some Sgns And Symptoms Of Small Pox
- High fever
- Fatigue
- Severe headache
- Backache
- Malaise
- Rash, raised and pink on the skin, starting centrally and spreading outwards. (First the mucosa of the mouth and throat, then face, forearms, trunk, and legs. Rash turns to pus-filled lesions that become crusty on the eighth or ninth day.)
- Delirium
- Vomiting and diarrhea
- Excessive bleeding
Small Pox History
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.There is a sudden onset of very high fever with very severe headache and pain in the back and a flushed face. On the third day reddish blisters appear on the face and then on the wrists . After the eruption the fever usually goes down. It's at its worst on the 8th or 9th day after which it dries up with a tough brown scab which takes several weeks to fall off. The danger of the infec tion is greatest when the scabs begin to fall off. Small Pox Treatment
There is no treatment in allopathic medicine for small pox, immunization of all people exposed to an infected person within 3-4 days of exposure, is the recommended course. Strict isolation and sterilization of all linens are also recommended.
Prevention methods of Small Pox
Small pox vaccination with a fresh serum and evaccination every, year or at the most every three years immunizes a child against the .dreadful disease. Admit the child to the infectious diseases hospital and get all the house members vaccinated. In case there is a case. of this disease in the neighbourhood then inform the municipal authorities at the earliest possible opportunity. In case you cannot take the child to a hospital then iso late the patient and her clothes and room should be thoroughly disinfected. When the eruptions start drying, smear vaseline over the scabs. Wash her eyes with cool boric acid solution as otherwise there is smarting sensation in the eyes. To relieve the itching take 2 tablespoons soda bicarbonate and mix in a bucket of water. Immerse the child in it for 5 to 6 minutes daily.
The diet should be mild and soft and salt free because salt gives rise to more Itching. Be careful the child does not scratch the spots as there is likelihood of secondary infection. Pock marks usually result from scratching the blisters. If the blister are permitted to dry of their own accord and allowed to fall off naturally, there is seldom any mark left from the disease.
Collect all the fallen scabs in a piece of paper and bury it deep inside the earth. Do not under any condition give hot things to the child like cardamoms, ginger etc. Only give her cooling things like curds, bananas, oranges etc. After recovery give her two baths witb hot water and carbolic soap before her to mix with others.
A person with smallpox is sometimes contagious with onset of fever (prodrome phase), but the person becomes most contagious with the onset of rash. At this stage the infected person is usually very sick and not able to move around in the community. The infected person is contagious until the last smallpox scab falls off.
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