Smallpox

Smallpox is the infectious disease produced by Variola major. It was the first infection for which a preventive measure, vaccination, was introduced; it is the first infectious disease that has been eradicated from the wild. A new case of smallpox would almost certainly be a use of a biological weapon, probably as terrorism, and constitute a major worldwide emergency.

By world agreement, only two stocks of the smallpox pathogen exist: in high-security government laboratories in Russia and the United States. There are concerns, however, that there may be cultures elsewhere, and, since it is transmissible from human to human and has substantial morbidity and mortality, there are worldwide preparations for containing and treating an outbreak. The vaccine, while having significant side effects, can reduce the severity of an active case as well as prevent the disease. At least one antiviral drug, cidofovir, is believed active against it, but has not been used in humans.

Smallpox Disease Timeline

Timeline of the disease and a description as reported by the CDC's Emergency Response and Preparedness page on Smallpox

Stage	Duration	Contagious	Desription
Incubation Period	7 to 17 days	Not contagious	Exposure to the virus is followed by an incubation period during which people do not have any symptoms and may feel fine. This incubation period averages about 12 to 14 days but can range from 7 to 17 days. During this time, people are not contagious.
Initial Symptoms (Prodrome)	2 to 4 days	Sometimes contagious*	The first symptoms of smallpox include fever, malaise, head and body aches, and sometimes vomiting. The fever is usually high, in the range of 101 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. At this time, people are usually too sick to carry on their normal activities. This is called the prodrome phase and may last for 2 to 4 days.
Early Rash	About 4 Days	Most Contagious	A rash emerges first as small red spots on the tongue and in the mouth. These spots develop into sores that break open and spread large amounts of the virus into the mouth and throat. At this time, the person becomes most contagious. Around the time the sores in the mouth break down, a rash appears on the skin, starting on the face and spreading to the arms and legs and then to the hands and feet. Usually the rash spreads to all |-parts of the body within 24 hours. As the rash appears, the fever usually falls and the person may start to feel better. By the third day of the rash, the rash becomes raised bumps. By the fourth day, the bumps fill with a thick, opaque fluid and often have a depression in the center that looks like a bellybutton. (This is a major distinguishing characteristic of smallpox.) Fever often will rise again at this time and remain high until scabs form over the bumps.
Pustular Rash	About 5 Days	Contagious	The bumps become pustules—sharply raised, usually round and firm to the touch as if there’s a small round object under the skin. People often say the bumps feel like BB pellets embedded in the skin.
Pustules and Scabs	About 5 Days	Contagious	The pustules begin to form a crust and then scab. By the end of the second week after the rash appears, most of the sores have scabbed over.
Resolving Scabs	About 6 Days	Contagious	The scabs begin to fall off, leaving marks on the skin that eventually become pitted scars. Most scabs will have fallen off three weeks after the rash appears. The person is contagious to others until all of the scabs have fallen off.
Scabs resolved	n/a	Not Contagious	Scabs have fallen off. Person is no longer contagious.

• Smallpox may be contagious during the prodrome phase, but is most infectious during the first 7 to 10 days following rash onset.