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Smallpox Research Paper

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Smallpox is a severe, life-threatening infectious disease. Not only was it very intense, but it was also very contagious. The disease is caused by the variola virus.2 This virus is a member of the orthopoxvirus family. Thankfully, it has been eradicated for around thirty-seven years now ever since the global immunization campaign managed by the World Health Organization in 1980. There are several different stages that individuals who are affected go through. Each stage is accompanied by their own signs and symptoms.1 The incubation period may be around seven to nineteen days long, though the average is usually ten to fourteen days long. This stage is the period of time where an individual has the virus in them but does not seem to experience …show more content…
These individuals tend to exhibit symptoms such as high fever, head and body aches, and possible vomiting. They are usually unable to carry out their regular, daily activities. At this point, there is potential for them to become contagious, but not as contagious as they will be in the following stages.
The early rash stage lasts for approximately four days. Individuals in this stage are the most contagious. The rash appears as miniature red spots located on the tongue and mouth. The spots eventually develop into sores, which burst open. The virus is then spread largely deeper into the mouth and throat. These sores in the mouth break down as a rash occurs on the face and spreads all parts of the body within twenty-four hours. The fever also recedes at this time. When the fourth day arrives, the skin sores consist of a thick, cloudy fluid with a dented center. The fever may rise and not let up until the next …show more content…
The head of the three-thousand-year-old mummy of Pharaoh Ramses V and many more from the Egyptian Empire were discovered with pustules similar to those from smallpox cases. During the fourth century, the people of China would call upon the god Yo Hao Long in order to be protected from a disease that distinctly resembles smallpox. At the time of the sixth century, Japan became acquainted with smallpox through a rise in trade with China and Korea. In the world, it was a common misbelief that red light would be the cure back, which led to different works of art portraying people defeating a “smallpox demon” while wearing the color red. In Japan, shrines for the “smallpox demon” were created in order to please it in hope that their sick family members would then be

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