The Large Shadow Behind A "Small" Disease The early stages of an accurate Smallpox diagnosis can be difficult. It's symptoms are flu like. Head and body aches with a fever of 101 to 104 degrees. The smallpox diagnosis could be realized late into the contagious stage, which consists of a progressive pustular rash. At this stage the virus will spread easily through airborne means, physical contact and fabrics. If a victim survives (30% die), there will remain heavy pitted scarring where the disease most attacks; hands, feet, face and arms.
The World Health Organization officially declared the eradication of Smallpox in 1980, which is a gross misnomer due to the following facts: It is believed that "unofficially" Iraq, North Korea, Siberia, France and possibly the United States all have active cultures deep within protected labs. Small outbreaks of of the disease have been reported as late as 2004 in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Since the increased threat of terrorism, specifically chemical warfare, international vaccination strategies have been developed in case of biochemical attack. Yet, despite the gloom and doom associated with the smallpox virus, frequently updated information continues to be made available to the medical community, to assure a smallpox diagnosis will be quickly dealt with, if ever an outbreak presents itself.
These international resources provided on the internet help physicians stay abreast of what to look for. Suspected symptoms can be clarified through a blood test. This laboratory confirmation can be used to rule out a smallpox diagnosis and point to considerably milder afflictions such as. chickenpox, a drug reaction or some form of skin infection.
And, though the current vaccines provide powerful protection, research is still being carried on today to provide even greater resistance, if ever a smallpox threat is carried out. The chances of anyone facing a smallpox diagnosis is slim since a sophisticated global system of awareness remains in place.