Smallpox complications

Abstract

Smallpox, the first disease eradicated through a global vaccination programme, might have shaped human evolution by its high lethality 1 Riedel S Edward Jenner and the history of smallpox and vaccination. Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent). 2005; 18: 21-25 Crossref PubMed Google Scholar (mortality 20–60%). The emergence of monkeypox, a related disease caused by an orthopox virus, has renewed interest in smallpox. Potential complications of monkeypoxMonkeypox is an emerging infectious disease that was initially recognised in 1958 but was not seen outside of Africa until 2003. It is caused by an orthopoxvirus, related to the smallpox virus, and presents with a pustular rash after a viral prodrome. A worldwide outbreak beginning in May, 2022, and affecting over 26 000 people to date, was declared a public health emergency of international concern by WHO on July 23, 2022.1 This outbreak has largely affected men who have sex with men, and has shown atypical presentations, including skin lesions without prodrome, predominantly anogenital or oropharyngeal lesions, and proctitis. Full-Text PDF