Small Pox

Epidemics

Smallpox is a disease that is caused by the variola virus. It was eradicated in 1979 and it was estimated to cause roughly 300 to 500 million deaths. Symptoms of this deadly disease began with a high fever and extreme tiredness, as the virus progresses, it causes a rash on the face, arms and legs. This rash then becomes filled with pus and eventually dries up and falls off; smallpox was extremely dangerous and once it progressed to this point, death was inevitable. Smallpox was extremely contagious and spread through droplets from a persons saliva, once an individual contracted the disease, it progressed slowly. There is no official cure for small pox, however a vaccine was created that is effective in preventing the progress of the disease if someone has contracted it. Due to smallpox being eradicated, it is not necessary to get the smallpox vaccine, however if it were to reemerge, there is a vaccine available to combat it.