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Smallpox Research Paper

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Smallpox
Causative agent and clinical symptoms
Smallpox is a viral infection caused by either Variola Major or Variola Minor. The virus has an incubation period of about 12 days between contraction and its symptomatic manifestation. Like other viral infections, smallpox presents with fever, headache, malaise and prostration, nausea and vomiting. The pre-eruptive stage lasting between day 12-15 presents with visible lesions on the palate, tongue, throat and mouth mucous membranes as the temperatures fall to normal. After the appearance of mucous membrane rashes, the virus attacks skin cells developing a rash within 24-48. The development of these rashes begins with the forehead to the whole face, trunk, and extremities. At this point, the …show more content…
As Best (2007) points out, the infection is mild presenting with low-grade fever of <39 degree Celsius, mild conjunctivitis, and nausea. 50-80 percent of the patients develop a rash that starts in the neck and face before proceeding down the body. The rash lasts for one to three days. At the same time, people present with swollen lymph in the neck and behind the ears, adults commonly women, develop painful joints and arthritis that lasts for about 3-10 days.
Transmission and its management Its management focusses mostly on eliminating symptoms to diminish symptoms. Treatment in newborn babies is geared towards mitigating its complications like heart defects and cataracts. Its management has not changed for a long time, except for the surgical management on newborn babies to prevent heart defects. The infection is transmitted through airborne droplets containing the virus after people infected with it a cough or sneeze.
Priority nursing intervention
A nurse has to ensure that pregnant mothers do not transmit the infection to the fetus during pregnancy; this can be achieved by ensuring that they are vaccinated if they are not vaccinated yet. At the same time, the nurse has to ensure the comfort of the patient by relieving joint …show more content…
An antihistamine is administered to prevent itching, calamine lotion that is a topical barrier preparation against bacterial infection and lastly paracetamol for fever. If the patients see a doctor within the first 24 hours after the rash appears, he or she can be put on antiviral drugs like acyclovir or immune globulin intravenous. Over the past eight years, management of chicken pox has improved with the introduction of antiretroviral and the immunoglobulin. The virus is transmitted through droplets, direct contact or aerosols. It can also be transmitted by indirectly touching freshly soiled dirty

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