What is Smallpox?
Smallpox is a serious, contagious, and sometimes fatal infectious disease caused by a virus called the variola virus. The disease gets its name from the Latin word for spotted and refers to the small pus-filled blisters that appear on the face and body of an infected person.

Why has smallpox been in the news?
Although smallpox has been eradicated, there is growing concern that terrorists might obtain the smallpox virus and unleash it in a bioterrorist attack.

What are the symptoms of smallpox?
People infected with smallpox develop some symptoms (e.g., fever, headache, backache, and general fatigue) that are typical of many less serious diseases. However, the telltale sign is the development of a unique skin rash. The rash, which has a unique indentation at its center, covers the entire body. The rash progresses to a raised bump, then to a pus-filled blister that crusts and scabs over before finally falling off about 3 weeks later, leaving behind a pitted scar.

How long would it take for symptoms to appear if a person were to come into contact with smallpox?
After exposure, there’s a 7 to 17 day period of time called the incubation period during which time an infected person may not show any symptoms. Then, over the next 2 to 4 days, an infected person may become sick with typical cold and flu-like symptoms (this stage of the disease is called the prodromal stage). The classic smallpox rash begins after these initial cold and flu symptoms disappear. So, the earliest outward symptoms of smallpox would appear would be about 9 days after exposure, when the rash develops.

A person with smallpox is most contagious to others while the rash is present, but is still considered contagious until the last smallpox scab falls off. A person is not contagious during the incubation period and only sometimes contagious during the prodromal stage.

How is smallpox spread?
Smallpox is spread from person to person by several means, including:
Direct, face-to-face and fairly prolonged contact with an infected person – the saliva of the infected person can spread the disease

Direct contact with the fluid in the blisters in the infected person’s skin or other infected bodily fluids

Direct contact with contaminated objects, such as blankets, towels or clothes touched by an infected person

Smallpox is rarely spread through the air in settings such as buses, trains, or office buildings.
Is smallpox fatal?

About 30 percent of people who become infected with smallpox die from their illness.

How is smallpox treated?
There are no drugs to treat smallpox once a person contracts the disease, although drugs can be given to relieve some of the cold and flu symptoms of the disease and other illnesses that might develop in addition to the smallpox. Instead, a vaccine is given to prevent people from contracting the disease in the first place.

Currently, only military personnel who might be exposed to smallpox as a biological weapon of warfare and US healthcare workers ("first responders") are being offered the vaccine. However, enough vaccine has been manufactured to inoculate every man, woman and child in the United States should a bioterrorist attack with smallpox occur. If an outbreak of smallpox were to occur, vaccination within 3 days of exposure will completely prevent or significantly modify the severity of disease in most patients. Vaccination within 4 to 7 days after exposure will likely offer some protection against contracting the disease. The vaccine provides protection from smallpox for 3 to 5 years.

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