DISASTER! - Homeland Security and Emergency Management ...

spread by infected bodily fluids (especially fluid from bumps) or from bedlinens or clothing from an infected person. It is very rare but the virus couldcarry in the air of an enclosed area like a train or building. Smallpox onlyinfects humans and is not known to be transmitted by insects or animals.Someone carrying the virus may not even know they have it since it liesdormant (incubation period) for up to 17 days. A person with smallpox ismost contagious from the time the rash starts until the last scab falls off(usually about 1 month). Anyone face-to-face with an infected person(within 6 - 7 feet / 2 meters) will most likely get the virus by inhalingdroplets or dried fluids or by touching infected materials.Signs & Symptoms: According to the CDC, exposure to the smallpoxvirus has an incubation period of 7 to 17 days (average is 12 to 14 days)where people feel fine, show no symptoms and are not contagious, then...• Prodrome phase - first symptoms of smallpox includefever, weird or uneasy feeling (malaise), head and bodyaches, and sometimes puking. Fever may be high(between 101F-104F or 38C-40C) -- may be contagious.Phase can last 2 - 4 days.• Spotty mouth - small red spots appear on the tongue andin the mouth (this is start of the “early rash phase”)• Spots become sores - spots turn into sores that break openand spread large amounts of the virus into the mouth andthroat -- person is VERY contagious at this point!• Rash - as sores in mouth break down, a rash starts on theface and spreads to arms and legs, then hands and feet --usually takes about 24 hours to cover body. As the rashappears, fever drops, and person may feel a little better.• Raised bumps - by third day, rash turns into raised bumps• Bumps fill up - by fourth day, bumps fill with a thick, clearfluid -- each bump has a dent in center (like a bellybutton)• Bumps become pustules - fever returns and bumpsbecome pustules (which is a raised bump, usually round,firm and feels like there’s something hard inside - like aBB pellet) -- lasts about 5 days• Pustules become scabs - fever still high, next the pustulesform a crust turning into scabs - lasts about 5 days -- about2 weeks after rash first appears most of the sores will bescabbed over• Scabs fall off - takes about 6 days for all the scabs to falloff leaving a scar or dent in the skin where each scab was(most are gone about 3 weeks after early rash firstappears). Person is no longer contagious when all scabshave fallen off.104 www.itsadisaster.net or call 1-888-999-4325