How many smallpox vaccines are there

If you need long-term protection, you may need to get a booster vaccination. Find out who should get smallpox vaccine. In addition, the vaccine was proven to prevent or substantially lessen infection when given within a few days after a person was exposed to the variola virus.

Routine smallpox vaccination among the American public stopped in after the disease was eradicated in the United States. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Vaccine Basics.

Minus Related Pages. The vaccine does not contain the smallpox virus and cannot give you smallpox. Most survivors had some degree of permanent scarring, which could be extensive. Other deformities could result, such as loss of lip, nose, and ear tissue. Blindness could occur as a result of corneal scarring. Smallpox was spread by close contact with the sores or respiratory droplets of an infected person.

Contaminated bedding or clothing could also spread the disease. A patient remained infectious until the last scab separated from the skin. Smallpox plagued human populations for thousands of years. Researchers who examined the mummy of Egyptian pharaoh Ramses V died BCE observed scarring similar to that from smallpox on his remains. Ancient Sanskrit medical texts, dating from about BCE, describe a smallpox-like illness. Smallpox was likely present in Europe by about CE. Some estimates indicate that 20th-century worldwide deaths from smallpox numbered more than million.

There is no specific treatment for smallpox disease, and the only prevention is vaccination. The name is derived from the Latin word for "spotted" and refers to the raised bumps that appear on the face and body of an infected person. Two clinical forms of smallpox have been described. Variola major is the severe form of smallpox, with a more extensive rash and higher fever. It is also the most common form of smallpox.

There are four types of variola major smallpox: ordinary the most frequent ; modified mild and occurring in previously vaccinated persons ; flat; and hemorrhagic.

However, flat and hemorrhagic smallpox, which are uncommon types of smallpox, are usually fatal. Hemorrhagic smallpox has a much shorter incubation period and is likely not to be initially recognized as smallpox when presenting to medical care.