Smallpox And The Epidemic Of Smallpox - 1467 Words

During the 19th and 20th centuries, a now eradicated disease called smallpox killed an estimated 300-500 million people. This life-threatening disease is marked by a rash of blisters filled with a thick, opaque fluid that cover the face, arms and legs (see Figure 1). Many of those who managed to survive smallpox were left with permanent complications such as scars, blindness, and in some instances, limb deformities. Occurrences of smallpox are believed to go as far back as 10,000 BC. One of the earliest examples of the disease is the pustular rash found on the mummified body of Pharaoh Ramses V of Egypt who died in 1157 BC. For a millennia, generations watched helplessly as their children fell prey to the devastating disease. But after rigorous vaccination campaigns in the 1960’s, the World Health Organization had confirmed the eradication of smallpox in 1979 with the last naturally occurring case being reported in 1977. In order to ensure another epidemic on the same scale smallpox doesn’t plague the human population, vaccinations against infectious diseases such as polio, diphtheria and rubella should be enforced without exclusions. The key to combating these virulent diseases is to create an immunization in the general public through the use of vaccines. In an effort to build a person’s immunity towards a particular disease, vaccines that contain weakened or dead microbes are administered using a hypodermic syringe. By imitating the substances that cause theShow MoreRelatedThe Epidemic Of Smallpox, Smallpox And Smallpox1862 Words   |  8 Pagesmany once-common diseases that have existed some of which are diphtheria, polio and smallpox. The way these diseases were stopped and wiped from existence is through vaccines, they are a great example of the brilliancy of vaccines. They will be explained next: the first of the once-common diseases is smallpox, smallpox was a contagious viral disease that left terrible scars all over the skin of its victims. Smallpox declared its 30th anniversary of eradication in 2010, this was achieved by the globallyRead MoreThe Epidemic Of Smallpox And Vaccines1327 Words   |  6 Pagesproduction† (dictionary.com). The epidemic of smallpox is one of the most groundbreaking moments in medical history, It created the usage of vaccination to be extremely normal. Smallpox had managed to kill millions of people, which was a large part of the population at the time. Edward Jenner came up with a vaccine that could treat the outbreak of smallpox. It only took around fourteen years to see that smallpox was no longer something people needed to fear. The vaccine for smallpox is one of the greatest evidenceRead MoreThe Epidemic Of Smallpox And Vaccines1327 Words   |  6 Pagesproduction† (dictionary.com). The epidemic of smallpox is one of the most g roundbreaking moments in medical history, It created the usage of vaccination to be extremely normal. Smallpox had managed to kill millions of people, which was a large part of the population at the time. Edward Jenner came up with a vaccine that could treat the outbreak of smallpox. It only took around fourteen years to see that smallpox was no longer something people needed to fear. The vaccine for smallpox is one of the greatest evidenceRead MoreThe Epidemic Of The Smallpox Vaccine1085 Words   |  5 Pageseliminated in a region. (Carter n.d.) Only one infectious disease to date, smallpox, has been categorized as eradicated worldwide (CDC 2010). How did this eradication occur? From 1958 to 1965 all fifty states enacted legislation mandating school age children receive the smallpox vaccine (College of Philadelphia). Consequently, by 1971, no smallpox cases had been reported in the United States for 20 years. The last known smallpox case in the world was in Somalia in 1977 (CDC 2 010). Even though smallRead MoreThe Epidemic Of Smallpox Vaccine943 Words   |  4 Pagesgenerated. Vaccines are the most successful strategies in medicine to prevent and even eliminate the most gruesome and contagious diseases. For centuries, smallpox traumatized the human race. Today, smallpox is not something we automatically think of when somebody gets a rash or have the chills, thanks to Edward Jenner. The first successful smallpox vaccine was introduced by Jenner in 1796. Although, Jenner’s portrayed the first scientific attempt to control this deadly disease, later in the 19th centuryRead MoreThe Epidemic Of Smallpox During The Middle Ages866 Words   |  4 Pages a small country doctor, who is well known around the world for his innovative contribution to immunization and the ultimate eradication of smallpox. (2005, Baylor University Medical Center.) It is believed that smallpox appeared around 10,000 B.C. Smallpox was introduced to Europe sometime between the fifth and seventh centuries and was frequently epidemic during the Middle Ages. Edward Jenner was born on May 17, 1749, in Berkeley, Gloucestershire. During his early school years, Edward developedRead MoreThe Epidemic Of Smallpox : A Debate For Many Parents1545 Words   |  7 PagesThe epidemic of smallpox is one of the most groundbreaking moments in medical history, It created the usage of vaccination to be extremely normal. Smallpox had managed to kill millions of people, which was a large part of the population at the time. Edward Jenner came up with a vaccine that could treat the illness and doctors were easily able to diagnose individuals. The process took a merely It only took around fourteen years to see that smallpox was no longer something people needed to fear. ARead MoreThe Impact of Disease on Native American Culture1086 Words   |  5 PagesThe Impact of Disease on Native American Culture Though warfare and attacks on entire villages took a definite toll on the populations of Native Americans, disease was by far the biggest killer. We’ve all heard the stories of smallpox infected blankets being given to the Native Americans, and other such atrocities, but I was simply dumbfounded at the actual numbers of dead due to Old World diseases being introduced to the New World, North America. While it has been somewhat difficult for scholarsRead MoreThe Wonders of Smallpox1437 Words   |  6 PagesThe Wonders of Smallpox There are several epidemics in the world, but the one that stands out the most and has a large affect on people is smallpox. An epidemic is a widespread occurrence of and infectious disease in a community at a particular time. There are several epidemics and lots of them are very dangerous and can lead to very severe sickness or even death. For example there are more diseases that land in the epidemic â€Å"family† such as HIV, AIDS, Herpes, and Gonorrhea just to give you an ideaRead MorePox Americana, Elizabeth A. Fenn1190 Words   |  5 Pagesprevious research about smallpox focused on specific locations, often with vague but tantalizing references to a larger background pandemic. I commend Fenn on her attempt to write about that large epidemic and I think that she successfully combined the facts and figures that spanned an entire hemisphere into her book. My initial thought, when I began reading was to ask why this topic is not more well-known. Fenn does an excellent job of detailing the impact that the smallpox epidemic had on the war and