Highly Contagious Smallpox
Smallpox, a highly contagious disease, is unique only to humans.
The smallpox virus is caused by two virus variants called
Variola major and Variola minor. Variola major is the more
deadly form of the virus; it usually has a mortality rte of
20-40 percent of those that are infected with the virus. Variola
minor on the other hand is much less severe and only kills 1% of
its victims. Neither of the Variola's are bugs that you want to
get. Avoid them at all costs!
Due to ulcerations of the cornea, many survivors of the smallpox
virus are left in one or both of their eyes. Often times they
will also have constant skin scarring. Over the 20th century the
smallpox virus was responsible for an estimated 200-450 million
deaths. After successfully completing several vaccination
campaigns the World Health Organization(WHO) in 1979 stated that
smallpox virus had been eradicated. Cultures
of the virus are always kept at the Disease Control and
Prevention which is located in the United States of America, as
well as in the Institue of Virus Preparations that is in
Siberia, Russia. After 1970 the vaccination was stopped in most
places of the world, as the risks of the vaccination include
death, among other side effects that aren't meant to joke around
with.
After the anthraz attacks on the United Sates in 2001, there
have been several concerns that smallpox has/will resurface and
possibly become a virus for us in bioterrorism. These concerns
have in turn raised more concerns about the availability of
vaccine stocks. The concerns are soo great in fact that,
President George W. Bush of the U.S.A. has ordered all of his
American military personnel to be vaccinated against smallpox
and has implemented a voluntary program for vaccinating
emergency medical personnel.