Small pox College Term Papers Health and Humanities

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.