Question

Ramu was affected by smallpox. What advice would you give Ramu for not spreading disease?

Answer 1

Hint: Smallpox is a highly contagious disease. The organism causing this disease is an obligate parasite. Beijerinck called them “contagium vivum fluidum”. Symptoms such as small bump, blister, scab, or scar are visible.

Complete answer:
Smallpox is a viral disease caused by the variola virus. The following preventive measures can be taken to prevent the spread of smallpox:
- Keeping minimum or no contact with other people.
- Using a mask all the time while interacting with any other person and as the mode of infection is by airborne droplets.
- Sanitization of hand before touching any object which may also be touched by someone else
- Staying in an isolated room so that minimum contact with other people occurs.

Additional Information:
- Symptoms of smallpox include high fever, chills, headache, abdominal pain, back pain, and vomiting. Skin lesions appear after a period of temporary relief.
- The first skin lesions may appear on the face and these are known as herald spots.
Some forms of smallpox may be hemorrhagic.
- The smallpox virus was of two types mainly, variola minor which is less fatal and variola major which has a fatality rate.
- The smallpox virus belongs to a family of poxvirus or Poxviridae.
- Eradication of smallpox was only possible due to vaccination.
- Mode of transmission of smallpox includes inhalation of droplets or aerosols which are released from the mouth of an infected person, coming in direct contact with the skin lesions, and contact with contaminated objects used by the infected person.

Note: It should be remembered that the poxvirus alone is not only deadly but it may result in secondary infections from bacteria, resulting in further weakening of the body’s immune system. The incubation period of the virus is usually 10-13 days.