Exploring Bioethics - NIH Office of Science Education - National ...

SmallpoxA man with smallpox.sy CDC/icetea Ro: CourarbarPhotNIP/BSmallpox is a serious, contagious, and often fatal infectious disease.Of those who contract the most common form, 30 percentdie. There is no specific treatment for smallpox disease, and theonly prevention is vaccination. In the years before the introductionof the vaccine, approximately 50,000 people in the United Statesbecame ill with smallpox each year.A close-up of smallpox lesionson a person’s leg.muirDC/angsy C. Lo: Cour telex ander DPhotDr. AThe pox part of smallpox is derived from the Latin word for “spotted”and refers to the raised bumps that appear on the face andbody of an infected person. Historically, people in China and Indiaexposed themselves to smallpox in attempts to create immunitybut would often get the disease in the process. In 1796, EdwardJenner discovered that exposing a person to material from a relatedvirus (cowpox) could lead to immunity to smallpox, and vaccinationwith cowpox (and later a different, related virus, vaccinia)became widespread.Copyright © 2009 Education Development Center, Inc. Exploring Bioethics.Permission granted for classroom use.Smallpox outbreaks occurred from time to time for thousands ofyears, but the disease was eradicated by a successful worldwidevaccination program. The last case of smallpox in the United Stateswas in 1949. The last naturally occurring case in the world was inSomalia in 1977. The World Health Assembly declared the worldfree of the disease in 1980. After that, routine vaccination againstsmallpox among the general public was stopped because it was nolonger necessary for prevention.Master 2.3 (Page 4 of 4)