Smallpox

What is smallpox?

Before smallpox was eradicated, it was a serious infectious disease caused by the variola virus. It was contagious—meaning, it spread from one person to another.

Thanks to the success of vaccination, smallpox was eradicated, and no cases of naturally occurring smallpox have happened since 1977. The last natural outbreak of smallpox in the United States occurred in 1949.

How do people catch smallpox?

Before smallpox was eradicated, it was mainly spread by direct and fairly prolonged face-to-face contact between people. Smallpox patients became contagious once the first sores appeared in their mouth and throat (early rash stage). They spread the virus when they coughed or sneezed and droplets from their nose or mouth spread to other people. They remained contagious until their last smallpox scab fell off.

What are the symptoms of smallpox?

A person with smallpox goes through several stages as the disease progresses. Each stage has its own signs and symptoms.

The symptoms include:

• High fever
• Head and body aches
• Sometimes vomiting
• Rash

How is the illness treated?

There are vaccines to protect people from smallpox. Currently, smallpox vaccines are not recommended for the general public because smallpox has been eradicated. If there were a smallpox outbreak, health officials would use smallpox vaccines to control it. While some antiviral drugs may help treat smallpox disease, there is no treatment for smallpox that has been tested in people who are sick with the disease and proven effective.