Smallpox Preparedness

Definition. Smallpox is a systemic viral illness caused by variola virus, a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus. Humans are the only known reservoir. Vaccinia (the virus in live smallpox vaccines) and monkeypox virus (the cause of mpox) belong to the same genus but are different viruses, so smallpox, mpox, varicella (chickenpox) and a vaccine reaction are separate diagnoses with separate management. Transmission and mechanism. Ontario's provincial protocol states that infection usually occurred through the respiratory tract, via respiratory secretions, or by inoculation of the skin. The PHAC pathogen safety data sheet names respiratory droplets as the primary route, with fine-particle aerosol and skin inoculation also possible. CDC describes spread mainly through direct and fairly prolonged face-to-face contact, through body fluids and contaminated bedding or clothing, and rarely through the air inside enclosed buildings. Early lesions form in the mouth and throat (the enanthem); Ontario notes that transmission risk is highest when these earliest lesions appear, through droplets from the oropharynx. Epidemiology that matters for nursing. The last endemic case occurred in Somalia in 1977 and the last case anywhere was...