Once Eradicated, Be Aware of Smallpox Risk

Monday, July 29, 2002

ROCHESTER, MINN. — No one knows the real risk of a smallpox outbreak, but by arming yourself with information and being aware of breaking news and recommendations from health experts, you can minimize your risk, according to the August issue of the Mayo Clinic Health Letter.

Eradicated in the United States in 1949, smallpox is a disfiguring and sometimes deadly disease caused by the variola virus. Virus particles can be transmitted by direct contact or released into the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or simply talks. The first symptoms — fever, malaise, severe fatigue, headache and severe back pain — usually appear 12 to 14 days after infection. A few days later, a rash appears as flat, red spots, showing first on the face, hands and forearms. (In chickenpox, lesions occur primarily on the trunk of the body.) Within a day or two, these spots become filled with fluid and then pus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) has a vaccination response plan in case of a smallpox outbreak. The vaccine can prevent or lessen the severity of the disease if given within four to seven days of becoming infected. Mayo Clinic researchers, in collaboration with researchers at the CDCP and the U.S. Army, have developed a new rapid laboratory test for smallpox detection that can deliver results within three hours.

Shelly Plutowski 507-284-5005 (days) 507-284-2511 (evenings) e-mail: newsbureau@mayo.edu

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