Smallpox is a viral infection caused by a virus known as the variola virus that has been in existence for over 2000 years. The first known out break was in China and the Far East. With this disease also comes many thing that people should be aware of. People should know about the way it is transmitted, what the treatment or vaccine for it and is it still needed today, how it is detected and the symptoms that come along with it. .
First off, smallpox is transmitted from contact with infected persons. In most cases direct and fairly long, face-to-face contact with an infected person is required in order to spread smallpox from one person to another. Smallpox can also be transmitted through the direct contact with infected bodily fluids or contaminated objects such as bed sheets or clothing. It is also very rare that a person acquire smallpox by the virus being carried in the air of an enclosed public area, such as buildings, buses, and trains. It is also not transmitted by insects or animals. .
Secondly, researchers have found that the only way to prevent the smallpox virus is by using the smallpox vaccine. This vaccine was made from a virus called vaccinia. Vaccinia is another "pox"-type virus that is related to smallpox, but cannot cause smallpox. The vaccine helps the body develop immunity to smallpox, and was successfully used to eradicate smallpox from the human population. In 1972, the vaccine was stopped in the United States for the public, but is continued for those persons who are in high risk of getting smallpox, such as military personnel, scientists who are working with the vaccination process and persona in high risk areas.
The vaccine works for three to five years and is not given with a hypodermic needle or a "shot," like many other vaccinations. Instead, the vaccine is given using a two-pronged needle called a bifurcated needle, which is dipped into the vaccine solution.