why is everything so confusing?

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Poxviridae

The Small Pox Virus

Morphology

Ovoid and brick-shaped
160-190nm in diameter, 220-450nm in length
Virions - envelope, surface membrane, a core and lateral bodies
Virus capsid is enveloped
External Coat - lipid and tubular or globular protein structures enclosing lateral bodies

Genome

Diseases

Smallpox

Transmit from human to human, no animal reservoir or insect that play a part in transmitting.
Virus transmit through infected aerosols and water droplets in face to face contact.
Can also be transmitted through the clothes, belonging etc of infected person. However chances are lower.
have an incubation period of 7-17days
initial sign and symptoms are quite similar to influenza
Variola major - 25-30% fatalities. Do not spread that widely because patient is unable to leave bed during the early phase and stay in bed through out the illness.
Variola minor - less than 1% death. Spread widely and more easily because infected person is still able to continue with daily actives in early phase.
Before vaccine was developed, infected people either die or survive but heavily scarred, became blind and suffer neurological damages.
Vaccination was then developed by Edward Jenner (the video below tells you more)

Eradication

Although Vaccine was developed in the 1800s but eradication was only declared in 1980,
In the early face of vaccination, the death rate of small pox did not decreas but increased.
Many that were vaccinated made themselves in a higher risk of being infected by smallpox and other diseases because of many factors
the vaccine was then further improved and then lead to the eradication

Eradication was possible because the virus can only infect human but no reservoir was there
Most at that time were protected by the vaccine or was infected and have a life long immunity to smallpox.

Blogged @ 11:14 AM