Eulalee ThompsonImmunisation level for smallpox now stands at zero
IF THE smallpox virus were somehow released in Jamaica, the entire population would be at risk for the disease as the Health Ministry indicates that the current immunisation level for smallpox is zero. Unless checked by vaccination, isolation and monitoring of infected persons, a smallpox outbreak could easily spread.
The often fatal disease was eradicated in Jamaica long before many other countries - between 1940s and 1950s and the Health Ministry indicates that it was some time in the 1970s that citizens here and in many other countries were last routinely immunised for the condition. The vaccine offers only a 10-year protection from the dreaded smallpox, therefore currently no one is protected from the virus.
Bearing this information in mind, Jamaicans should become more interested in discussions in the United States of America about bioterrorism and the possible use of the smallpox virus in biological warfare. The Health Ministry indicates that it is already on surveillance for all forms of chemical or biological terrorism. Also, bioterrorism and emergency response experts who recently met at the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) offices in Washington encouraged member states to make plans (that include detection, diagnosis and response) to deal with bioterrorism. They recommended the expansion of existing disaster preparedness capabilities to any possible attack with anthrax, smallpox and chemical or radiological attacks.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is also looking at smallpox with renewed interest, reviewing its guideline on smallpox vaccination. The guidelines recommend that only individuals at risk of exposure (for example, laboratory researchers working on smallpox or human monkeypox) should be vaccinated. However, WHO Smallpox Advisory Group is considering whether these guidelines should be modified to take account of any potential situation in which the smallpox virus is deliberately used to cause infection.
Smallpox was eradicated from the world in 1977 and from the Western Hemisphere in 1971 through a WHO-led vaccination programme. The disease which is caused by the Variola virus, is very contagious, spread most often, from person to person when an infected person releases his virus-infected saliva droplets from their mouth into the air. These droplets are in turn inhaled by susceptible persons in close contact with the infected person.
Persons infected with the smallpox virus, PAHO indicates, develop a rash in the first week of their illness and is infectious until the rash is healed, that is all the scabs have fallen off. Scabs that fall from the skin contain the virus but are less infectious than saliva.
The rash is the most visible symptom of smallpox with the most dense lesions on the face, arms and legs. The lesions are round, dense and deeply embedded in the skin. Other symptoms include high fever, fatigue and head and backaches. These symptoms are followed in two to three days by the rash. Mouth and throat lesions appear early in the illness and ulcerate to release large amounts of virus in the saliva.
Unfortunately, PAHO states that there is currently no proven treatment for smallpox. Patients are given non-specific supportive therapy as needed such as intravenous fluids, painkillers, fever control medication and antibiotics for secondary bacterial infections. The best action is prevention with the smallpox vaccine. The vaccine can also lessen the severity or prevent illness if given up to four days after exposure, according to PAHO.
