Smallpox - World Health Organization (WHO)
Jun 20, 2024 · Smallpox is an acute contagious disease caused by the variola virus, a member of the orthopoxvirus family. It was one of the most devastating diseases known to humanity and caused millions of deaths before it was eradicated.
Smallpox - World Health Organization (WHO)
Jun 28, 2016 · Smallpox is an ancient disease caused by the variola virus. Early symptoms include high fever and fatigue. The virus then produces a characteristic rash, particularly on the face, arms and legs. The resulting spots become filled with clear fluid and later, pus, and then form a crust, which eventually dries up and falls off.
History of smallpox vaccination - World Health Organization (WHO)
Vaccination led to smallpox elimination in western Europe, North America and Japan. In the absence of a large-scale coordinated international programme, the disease persisted in other areas. In 1958, the World Health Assembly called for the global eradication of smallpox – the permanent reduction to zero cases – without risk of reintroduction.
Smallpox vaccines - World Health Organization (WHO)
Jan 3, 2014 · The smallpox vaccine, introduced by Edward Jenner in 1796, was the first successful vaccine to be developed. He observed that milkmaids who previously had caught cowpox did not catch smallpox and showed that inoculated …
Mpox - World Health Organization (WHO)
Aug 26, 2024 · The monkeypox virus was discovered in Denmark (1958) in monkeys kept for research. The first reported human case of mpox was a nine-month-old boy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1970). Following the eradication of smallpox in 1980 and the end of smallpox vaccination worldwide, mpox steadily emerged in central, east and west Africa.
Commemorating Smallpox Eradication – a legacy of hope, for …
Aug 5, 2020 · The strategies used to eradicate smallpox still apply today.” “Lessons learned from smallpox are used today to respond to disease outbreaks. For example, house-to-house active case-finding underpins the polio eradication programme, and ring vaccination of contacts is helping to combat the spread of the Ebola virus disease.
Smallpox Virus: Structure and Function - Study.com
Smallpox is an infection caused by the Variola virus. It is an incredibly serious disease with a fatality rate near 30%. Early symptoms are vague, including fever, headache, and vomiting. A rash ...
Smallpox - World Health Organization (WHO)
However, due to continued interest in research and development involving variola virus, the destruction of the remaining stocks of smallpox virus has been postponed by the World Health Assembly. Smallpox Vaccines. Edward Jenner demonstrated, in 1798, that inoculation of humans with live vaccinia virus (cowpox) could protect against smallpox.
Smallpox Eradication Programme - SEP (1966-1980)
May 1, 2010 · Smallpox was officially declared eradicated in 1980 and is the first disease to have been fought on a global scale. This extraordinary achievement was accomplished through the collaboration of countries around the world. At the end of the 1960s, smallpox was still endemic in Africa and Asia.
WHO commemorates the 40th anniversary of smallpox eradication
Dec 13, 2019 · The World Health Organization commemorated the 40th anniversary of smallpox eradication today recognizing the historic moment on 9 December 1979 when the end of smallpox was confirmed to have been eradicated. Five months later, in May 1980, the 33rd World Health Assembly issued its official declaration that ‘the world and all its peoples have won freedom …