Smallpox

Q1: What causes smallpox?

A: Variola virus (DNA virus).

Q2: How is smallpox different from plague?

A: Viral vs. bacterial; airborne/contact vs. flea/rodent.

Q3: How contagious is smallpox?

A: Easily spreads person-to-person and airborne droplets.

Q4: Incubation period?

A: 7–17 days (usually 12–14).

Q5: Are people contagious during incubation?

A: No — they look healthy.

Q6: First symptoms?

A: High fever, headache, fatigue, vomiting, delirium.

Q7: Where does rash start?

A: Face → hands/forearms → trunk.

Q8: What do lesions contain?

A: Clear fluid → pus → scabs → deep scars.

Q9: Major complications?

A: Blindness, encephalitis, severe bleeding, skin infections.

Q10: Typical death rate?

A: About 30%.

Q11: Most common spread?

A: Face-to-face droplets.

Q12: Can it spread via ventilation systems?

A: Yes — rare airborne spread across rooms/floors.

Q13: Can objects spread it?

A: Yes — contaminated clothes/bedding.

Q14: How long has smallpox infected humans?

A: At least 3,000 years (Ramses V).

Q15: Killed leaders include:

A: Kings/Queens of Europe + Aztec & Inca rulers.

Q16: What percent of blindness in 1700s Europe was from smallpox?

A: About 1/3.

Q17: How did smallpox reach Asia?

A: Egyptian traders to China/India (as early as 1500 BC).

Q18: Why isn’t it in Greek/Roman records?

A: Likely did not reach Europe until 7th century AD.

Q19: How did Spanish conquest spread smallpox?

A: Aztec & Inca populations devastated by epidemics.

Q20: What was variolation?

A: Infecting with smallpox scabs/pus for immunity.

Q21: Who described Ottoman inoculation parties?

A: Lady Mary Wortley Montagu.

Q22: Variolation death risk?

A: ~2–3%.

Q23: Who developed smallpox vaccination?

A: Edward Jenner (1796).

Q24: What virus provided protection?

A: Cowpox.

Q25: Who was the first vaccinated child?

A: James Phipps.

Q26: Who mandated smallpox inoculation of troops in 1777?

A: George Washington — first mass U.S. immunization.

Q27: During the Quebec campaign, deaths per day?

A: 50–60 soldiers at epidemic peak.

Q28: When was smallpox eradicated?

A: 1980 (WHO global immunization success).

Q29: Remaining official storage sites?

A: CDC (Atlanta) + Russian lab in Siberia.

Q30: Why is smallpox still a security concern?

A: Potential for biological weapon + low current immunity.