Prevention Of Smallpox Research Articles

에도시대 두창의 예방과 치료: 인두법의 수용을 중심으로

This paper explores the introduction of smallpox variolation (人痘法) as a means of addressing the smallpox epidemic during the Edo period in Japan. It also investigates the impact of smallpox variolation on Japanese society during the late Edo period. I begin by outlining the history of smallpox epidemics in Japan. Subsequently, I document the process of introducing and developing smallpox variolation, which was considered a valuable preventive measure against smallpox during that period. While smallpox variolation was introduced in the mid-18th century, it took about half a century for the practice to be effectively implemented. Several physicians attempted variolation during this period, but Ogata Shunsaku (緖方春朔) was renowned as the first to succeed on a large scale, particularly with children. He authored works such as “Shutohissunben (種痘必順辨)” to advocate for the effectiveness of variolation. Additionally, rather than simply adopting the Chinese method of variolation, he developed his own method that took into consideration Japan's unique climate and environment, hoping to enhance the efficacy of variolation. During that time, the prevailing response to the smallpox epidemic focused on diagnosis and treatment using medicine rather than variolation. While Ogata Shunsaku actively practiced variolation, the shogunate established an institution within the medical department tasked with the prevention and treatment of smallpox. This institution propagated the Ikeda-ryu (池田流) method, which specialized in diagnosing and treating smallpox. Despite disparities in approaches, competition between smallpox prevention and treatment catalyzed the accumulation of relevant medical knowledge and experience in Japan during the early 19th century. Initially, variolation was introduced from China; however, over time, researchers experimented with it in various ways, integrating knowledge from Rangaku (蘭學) and cowpox inoculation (牛痘法). Responding to academic and technical developments, Ranpoi (蘭方醫) made diverse attempts at variolation that served as precursors to the eventual adoption of cowpox inoculation. Examining the process of variolation’s introduction and implementation elucidates the characteristics of early 19th-century Japanese medicine that transcended disciplinary boundaries.

Functional epitopes and neutralizing antibodies of vaccinia virus

Smallpox is an infectious disease caused by the variola virus, and it has a high mortality rate. Historically it has broken out in many countries and it was a great threat to human health. Smallpox was declared eradicated in 1980, and Many countries stopped nation-wide smallpox vaccinations at that time. In recent years the potential threat of bioterrorism using smallpox has led to resumed research on the treatment and prevention of smallpox. Effective ways of preventing and treating smallpox infection have been reported, including vaccination, chemical drugs, neutralizing antibodies, and clinical symptomatic therapies. Antibody treatments include anti-sera, murine monoclonal antibodies, and engineered humanized or human antibodies. Engineered antibodies are homologous, safe, and effective. The development of humanized and genetically engineered antibodies against variola virus via molecular biology and bioinformatics is therefore a potentially fruitful prospect with respect to field application. Natural smallpox virus is inaccessible, therefore most research about prevention and/or treatment of smallpox were done using vaccinia virus, which is much safer and highly homologous to smallpox. Herein we summarize vaccinia virus epitope information reported to date, and discuss neutralizing antibodies with potential value for field application.

Screening of antiviral activity of samples from chaga Inonotus obliquus and humic acid from brown coal on Vero cell culture against ectromelia virus (Poxviridae: Orthopoxvirus; ECTV)

The mouse-specific orthopoxvirus, ectromelia virus, is one of the best models that can be used to study key issues of pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment of smallpox, and to develop measures to increase virulence, transmissibility, or the ability to overcome vaccine immunity. The aim of the work is to screen the antiviral activity of samples from Inonotus obliquus chaga and humic acid from brown coal in vitro against ectromelia virus. We used ectromelia virus, strain K-1 (reg. No V-142), obtained from the State Collection of Pathogens of Viral Infections and Rickettsioses of the State Scientific Center of Virology and Biotechnology "Vector"; Vero Е6 cell culture (No 70) from the Collection of cell cultures of the State Scientific Center of Virology and Biotechnology "Vector". Nine samples from chaga I. obliquus and humic acid from brown coal were used to evaluate the changes in the infectivity of the ectromelia virus on cell culture using 2 schemes of application of drugs and virus (preventive and therapeutic schemes), and to assess their cytotoxicity and antiviral activity. 50% cytotoxic concentration, 50% virus-inhibiting concentrations and selectivity index were determined for all samples. The studied samples were shown to be non-toxic to the monolayer of Vero cell culture in a dilution of 300 and more micrograms/ml, while demonstrated high antiviral activity against strain K-1 of ectromelia virus in two application schemes - preventive and curative. All samples tested for ectromelia virus in vitro can be considered promising for further development of drugs against diseases caused by orthopoxviruses.

Smallpox Prevention and Public Healthcare in China in the 1920s and 1930s: Focusing on the Cases of Shanghai and Beijing.

Beijing and Shanghai, representative modern cities in China, witnessed the development of various urban infrastructures and quarantine systems in the 1920s and 1930s. Both cities established Health Demonstration Stations in the 1930s, as part of their implementation of modern health administration. This foundation played a pivotal role for making health administration more practical. Huang Zi-fang (1899-1940) and Hu Hung-ji (1894-1932), the inaugural directors of the health bureau in the respective cities, were both graduates of the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health in the United States. They shared a similar view of public health. Active exchanges occurred between the heads of the health administration in the two cities who were the leading forces in the health reform, encompassing various health experiments including the Health Demonstration Station. During the 1930s in China, state medicine gained prominence as the most ideal medical model for constructing a modern state. As such, the quarantine activities they promoted were also considered the most ideal model. The public health care centered on Health Demonstration Stations in the 1920s and 1930s that developed in large Chinese cities such as Beijing and Shanghai pursued similar goals by strengthening quarantine administration through free medical treatment and modern spatial control. Nonetheless, each city exhibited differences in terms of the subjects and targets of quarantine, as well as the primary bases of quarantine, which were either Health Demonstration Stations or hospitals. Both municipal governments and the civilian sector led the sanitary infrastructure development. While Shanghai showed stronger development in terms of the number of vaccinations, Shanghai's dualized quarantine system did not necessarily create a better health environment than Beijing in terms of spatial control. In the 1940s, the Japanese occupation government implemented measures to inherit and further develop existing health administrations in Beijing and Shanghai. Existing international settlements were incorporated into the Japanese occupation government, and the occupation government pursued homogenization of urban space and tried to maintain the existing urban policy as much as possible to preserve the status quo. However, the intensification of the Anti-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War brought an end to the health experiment centered around the Health Demonstration Station in China in the first half of the twentieth century.

The Development of Modern Chinese Medicine in a Comparative Perspective of the History of Chinese and Western Medicine

Chinese and Western medicine have different origins and have developed in different ways and with different contents. This paper focuses on a comparative study of the history of Chinese and Western medicine, tracing the development of ancient Greek medicine, the rescue and treatment of the Black Death in medieval Europe, and the medical treatment and public health represented by the prevention and treatment of smallpox in the Qing Dynasty. Chinese and Western medicine offered different paths to the rescue and treatment of disease from different perspectives. At the same time, the paper focus on the formation and development of the systematization of Chinese and Western medicine in modern times and the transformation of modern Chinese medicine under the influence of Western learning in the east. By discussing the changes in the modern Chinese medical education system - from ecclesiastical medicine to an integrated institutional training model, the further training of medical talents and finally the government's promulgation of the University Decree to provide modern By discussing the changes in the modern Chinese medical education system - from ecclesiastical medicine to an integrated institutional training model for medical personnel and finally the government’s promulgation of the University Decree to provide institutional guarantees for modern medical education, the significance of the convergence of Western and Chinese medicine for the development of modern Chinese medicine will be discussed in this paper.

Estimated Effectiveness of JYNNEOS Vaccine in Preventing Mpox: A Multijurisdictional Case-Control Study — United States, August 19, 2022–March 31, 2023

As of March 31, 2023, more than 30,000 monkeypox (mpox) cases had been reported in the United States in an outbreak that has disproportionately affected gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender persons (1). JYNNEOS vaccine (Modified Vaccinia Ankara vaccine, Bavarian Nordic) was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2019 for the prevention of smallpox and mpox via subcutaneous injection as a 2-dose series (0.5 mL per dose, administered 4 weeks apart) (2). To expand vaccine access, an Emergency Use Authorization was issued by FDA on August 9, 2022, for dose-sparing intradermal injection of JYNNEOS as a 2-dose series (0.1 mL per dose, administered 4 weeks apart) (3). Vaccination was available to persons with known or presumed exposure to a person with mpox (postexposure prophylaxis [PEP]), as well as persons at increased risk for mpox or who might benefit from vaccination (preexposure mpox prophylaxis [PrEP]) (4). Because information on JYNNEOS vaccine effectiveness (VE) is limited, a matched case-control study was conducted in 12 U.S. jurisdictions,† including nine Emerging Infections Program sites and three Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity sites,§ to evaluate VE against mpox among MSM and transgender adults aged 18-49 years. During August 19, 2022-March 31, 2023, a total of 309 case-patients were matched to 608 control patients. Adjusted VE was 75.2% (95% CI = 61.2% to 84.2%) for partial vaccination (1 dose) and 85.9% (95% CI = 73.8% to 92.4%) for full vaccination (2 doses). Adjusted VE for full vaccination by subcutaneous, intradermal, and heterologous routes of administration was 88.9% (95% CI = 56.0% to 97.2%), 80.3% (95% CI = 22.9% to 95.0%), and 86.9% (95% CI = 69.1% to 94.5%), respectively. Adjusted VE for full vaccination among immunocompromised participants was 70.2% (95% CI = -37.9% to 93.6%) and among immunocompetent participants was 87.8% (95% CI = 57.5% to 96.5%). JYNNEOS is effective at reducing the risk for mpox. Because duration of protection of 1 versus 2 doses remains unknown, persons at increased risk for mpox exposure should receive the 2-dose series as recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP),¶ regardless of administration route or immunocompromise status.

Monkeypox: Virology, laboratory diagnosis and therapeutic approach.

Monkeypox infection outbreaks have been observed sporadically in Africa, usually as a result of interaction with wildlife reservoirs. The genomes of the new strain range in size from 184.7 to 198.0kb and are identified with 143-214 open reading frames. Viral cores are rapidly carried on microtubules away from the cell's perimeter and deeper into the cytoplasm once the virus and cell membranes fuse. Depending on the kind of exposure, patients with monkeypox may experience a febrile prodrome 5-13 days after exposure, which frequently includes lymphadenopathy, malaise, headaches, and muscle aches. A different diagnostic approach is available for monkeypox, including histopathological analysis, electron microscopy, immunoassays, polymerase chain reaction, genome sequencing, microarrays, loop-mediated isothermal amplification technology and CRISPR (i.e., "clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats"). There are currently no particular, clinically effective treatments available for the monkeypox virus. An initial treatment is cidofovir. As a monophosphate nucleotide analog, cidofovir is transformed into an inhibitor of viral DNA polymerase by cellular kinases, which is analogous to cidofovir's function in inhibiting viral DNA synthesis. The European Medicine Agency and the Food and Drug Administration have both granted permission for IMVAMUNE, a replication-deficient, attenuated third-generation modified vaccinia Ankara vaccine, to be used for the prevention of smallpox and monkeypox in adults.

Vaccines for monkeypox disease and challenges in its production and distribution: a lesson from COVID-19 pandemic.

Vaccines for monkeypox disease and challenges in its production and distribution: a lesson from COVID-19 pandemic.

Safety Monitoring of JYNNEOS Vaccine During the 2022 Mpox Outbreak — United States, May 22–October 21, 2022

JYNNEOS (Modified Vaccinia Ankara vaccine, Bavarian Nordic) is recommended in the United States for persons exposed to or at high risk for exposure to Monkeypox virus during the 2022 monkeypox (mpox) outbreak (1). JYNNEOS is a live, nonreplicating viral vaccine licensed for the prevention of smallpox and mpox in adults aged ≥18 years, administered as a 0.5-mL 2-dose series given 28 days apart by subcutaneous injection (2). On August 9, 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for administration of 0.1 mL doses by intradermal injection for adults aged ≥18 years as a strategy to increase vaccine supply, and administration of 0.5 mL doses subcutaneously for persons aged <18 years (3). During May 22-October 21, 2022, a total of 987,294 JYNNEOS vaccine doses were administered in the United States. CDC has monitored JYNNEOS vaccine safety using the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) and the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) for vaccine recipients of all ages, and through single-patient emergency Investigational New Drug (EIND) procedures for persons aged <18 years vaccinated before August 9, 2022. The most common adverse health events reported to VAERS for adults were nonserious and included injection site reactions, which was consistent with the prelicensure studies. Adverse health events were reported at similar rates for doses received by intradermal and subcutaneous administration. Serious adverse events were rare in adults, and no serious adverse events have been identified among persons aged <18 years. Overall, postlicensure and postauthorization surveillance to date support JYNNEOS vaccine safety.

Human Monkeypox Virus Infection in the Immediate Period After Receiving Modified Vaccinia Ankara Vaccine

This study uses electronic medical record data to describe monkeypox infections after a single dose of Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic vaccine, a live, nonreplicating vaccine indicated for prevention of smallpox and monkeypox infection in adults.

Monkeypox and the safety of the blood supply.

Monkeypox and the safety of the blood supply.

Features of the pathogenesis, epidemiology, diagnostics, approaches to the treatment and prevention of small pox, the current state of the problem in Ukraine and the world

Introduction. Monkey pox is an anthropozoonous disease caused by orthopoxvirus, characterized by fever, general intoxication and skin rash, in some cases it can lead to fatal consequences; an infectious disease covered by international health regulations (IHR). The causative agent of the disease is classified as a biological agent - agent of a biological weapon. Most of the monkeypox cases associated with the 2022 outbreak are in the Western Hemisphere. Purpose: study of data on etiological, pathogenetic, epidemiological aspects, modern approaches to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of monkeypox, the state of the problem in Ukraine and the world. Materials and methods: to perform the task, a review of publications was conducted in electronic databases of medical publications PubMed Medline of the US National Library of Medicine (NLM), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) website of the federal agency of the Ministry of Health USA. Results: The second generation ACAM2000 and third generation JYNNEOS™ monkeypox vaccines are currently available. Both vaccines are able to create immunity against monkeypox. Post-exposure vaccination can help prevent or reduce the severity of monkeypox. ACAM2000 is a single-dose vaccinia vaccine licensed by the FDA for the prevention of smallpox. Full immunity is achieved 4 weeks after vaccination. FDA expanded access to investigational protocol allows use of ACAM2000 for monkeypox immunization during an outbreak. The immunogenicity and protective efficacy of ACAM2000 is equivalent to that of the first generation Dryvax® smallpox vaccine. Smallpox vaccine virus is used as a live attenuated virus in the smallpox vaccine. Cases of encephalitis and Guillain-Barré syndrome following smallpox vaccination show that the incidence varies not only from place to place, but also from year to year in the same place. For the purposes of containment of the outbreak, prevention to reduce the risk of transmission from person to person, immediate detection of new cases and surveillance measures are necessary. Health care workers who provide care to patients with suspected or confirmed monkeypox who work with their specimens should use standard precautions to control infection. Specimens taken from animals or humans suspected of having monkeypox should be handled in equipped laboratories by trained personnel. According to WHO recommendations, samples taken from patients should be appropriately labeled, prepared for transportation using triple packaging. To prevent the further spread of monkeypox through the animal trade, captive animals potentially infected with smallpox must be isolated from other animals and quarantined for 30 days. Conclusions: 1.The monkeypox virus, which used to be endemic to certain regions of Africa, is now a global concern, with cases increasingly being reported in regions of the Western Hemisphere. 2. In connection with the fact that transmission from person to person most often occurs through airborne droplets or through direct contact with the mucous secretions of an infected person, social distancing and contact tracing are advisable. 3. In the last 6 months, cases of monkeypox have been confirmed among middle-aged people, which can be explained by the loss of cross-immunity from the smallpox vaccine. 4. The monkeypox virus multiplies in the cytoplasm and matures, creating primary viremia. Manifestations of a severe course of monkeypox are bronchopneumonia, respiratory distress syndrome, encephalitis, chorioretinal scars on the retina, etc. To minimize the risk of complications, it is advisable to provide timely treatment. 5. Medical organizations around the world are focused on understanding how cases of monkeypox are increasingly occurring in countries in the Western Hemisphere. 6. The study of etiotropic methods of treating monkey pox is promising.

War Against Smallpox: Edward Jenner and the Global Spread of Vaccination by Michael Bennett

Reviewed by: War Against Smallpox: Edward Jenner and the Global Spread of Vaccination by Michael Bennett Niels Brimnes Michael Bennett. War Against Smallpox: Edward Jenner and the Global Spread of Vaccination. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020. xii + 424 pp. Ill. $39.99 (978-0-521-14788-0). Scholars writing global health history today tend to be careful to avoid narratives that are either triumphalist, Eurocentric or both. If Michael Bennett shares these concerns—and I believe he does— he has given himself a significant challenge: writing a much-needed and comprehensive account of the global spread of vaccination against smallpox. This episode in the history of global health obviously invites the employment of both these “vices.” The vaccination-based eradication of smallpox represents, after all, a much-celebrated triumph of medical knowledge, and the practice undeniably began in Gloucestershire before it spread to the wider world. It seems impossible to write about vaccination without reference to at least elements of heroic benevolence and allusions to the blessings of “Western” medical science. The challenge is augmented by Bennett’s decision to end his narrative in 1815, which he understands as the end of the “heroic phase in the history of vaccination” (p. 352). Had he ventured further into the nineteenth century, it would have been easier to emphasize the setbacks and complexities that characterized the nineteenth-century career of vaccination. As it stands, Bennett’s book describes an effort deeply entangled with both the Napoleonic Wars and structures of colonialism. Bennett suggests that benevolent science triumphed over strife and war and often overcame racialized [End Page 269] barriers through a willingness to share the vaccine between bodies of different skin color. The account also contains outright heroic episodes, such as Jose Salvany’s “gruelling journey across the high Andes . . . [s]pitting blood from a raging tubercular infection” (p. 312). While Bennett identifies vaccination campaigns as imperial projects—in Napoleonic Europe as well as in British India—he also warns against making simplistic connections between vaccination and empire. In India, he asserts, its introduction “was driven by the same sorts of impulses, hopes and fears, visions of improvement and humanitarian concern evident in Britain and elsewhere” (p. 245). These elements are complemented by numerous references to failures, as well as widespread hesitancy and opposition toward new prophylaxis from both medical men and the wider population. On balance, Bennett’s account is not triumphalist, but he remains loyal to the notion that the spread of vaccination was “a humanitarian endeavour” (p. 6). The inherent Eurocentrism in the smallpox prevention narrative is countered by a genuine attempt to cover as much of the globe as possible and by insisting on the importance of indigenous and creole agency in India and Latin America. Bennett not only reminds us of the “need to challenge and reverse assumptions of colonial backwardness and dependency” (p. 319), he also points to the extent to which the spread of vaccination depended on the institution of slavery. I do, however, find a reminiscence of Eurocentrism in Bennett’s treatment of variolation. Given that this was predominantly an Asian practice and that it was “more routinely deployed in the Caribbean than in any other parts of the world” (p. 298), it appears unfortunate that Bennett overwhelmingly treats it in it British incarnation(s) as a practice that both rivaled and paved the way for vaccination. While this is a valid point, the global perspective seems to be lost. Bennett’s book is empirically dense, but not an easy read. While it is a gold mine of information on an impressive range of regions throughout the world, the reader looking for the bigger picture is often lost in detail. It tends to become a truism that in any particular region, significant numbers took the vaccine, while it also struggled to find acceptance among certain groups. The final chapter goes some way to lift the perspective toward significant global patterns of similarity and difference, but I would have welcomed more in that direction. War on Smallpox is the kind of book I will definitely order for the library, but rarely ask students to read cover to cover. The bulk of Bennett’s text was...

Smallpox prevention in the Austrian Littoral

The article discusses vaccination as the key smallpox prophylaxis, used in the Habsburg provinces from the beginning of the nineteenth century onward. The analysis of quantitative data for the Austrian Littoral (particularly Koper and Trieste) also points to the scope and frequency of smallpox epidemics in the second half of the nineteenth century, which raises questions concerning the extent to which these prophylactic measures were implemented and the population’s willingness to heed the calls for immunization. By creating a regulatory framework, the state sought to attain the maximum possible prevalence of this practice, which nevertheless remained the target of various prejudices for a long time to come. The authorities, the Church, and scientists therefore sought to heighten the popular awareness on the need for immunization through a range of communication channels. Because cowpox vaccination failed to ensure lasting immunity, revaccination was of crucial importance, but its implementation was even more limited.

Smallpox as a Bioagent: A Refresher and Update for the SOF Provider.

Smallpox plagued humans for millennia until its eradication in 1980 following a successful global campaign led by the World Health Organization (WHO). It is the first known biological weapon to be used in war and has been weaponized in the past by the former Soviet Union. To date, smallpox remains a Category A Bioagent and is assessed to be a relevant threat to US military personnel. Given that the last natural case of smallpox occurred more than 40 years ago, a high level of suspicion along with a substantial understanding of the disease process are required to recognize potential future cases. While available countermeasures are limited, several new agents have recently become available for the prevention and treatment of smallpox and have been added to the strategic national stockpile. This review serves as a refresher and update for the clinical disease, to include its epidemiology and management with updated FDA-approved countermeasures.

Relevance of developing public health service cadres alongside a more prevention oriented Indian health system: an overview

The relevance of public health has been emphasized in the wake of the global epidemic COVID-19. There are several success stories that we often tend to forget, such as the fight against various infectious illnesses like smallpox, poliomyelitis, and current human-immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention, to name a few, public health has played a significant impact. Diarrheal diseases, for example, which contributes significantly to India's under-five mortality rate and is one of the leading causes of malnutrition, can be effectively handled by improving access to safe water and sanitation. Because public health encompasses more than just health, we require a workforce with managerial and leadership skills as well as training in public health as a specialty. This paper explores some of the successes and lessons learned from systematic investments in public health in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, namely The Tamil Nadu model and other countries, as well as the system's flaws. In India, a feasible framework for establishing dedicated public health cadres has also been explored. Evidence was acquired from PubMed, Google Scholar, newspaper stories, and publicly released government orders and papers. The recruitment of cadres may resemble that of the Indian economic/statistical services (IES/ ISS) by the UPSC. Another area to emphasize for health professionals interested in public health is training. Starting from frontline workers, block level workers to district and state we need dedicated public health workforce. Moreover, the need of the hour is to establish such a system which will work alongside pre-existing clinical fields.

The epidemic of smallpox in Northeastern Siberia and the first attempts to prevent it

Smallpox is one of the most dangerous human infectious diseases in the world, which claimed an estimated half a billion lives [1]. Smallpox reached the territory of Northeastern Siberia in the middle of the 17th century. It was spread by people from the European part of the Russian Empire. The devastating epidemics of smallpox led to the verge of extinction of entire tribal communities and small ethnic groups, especially in the Arctic. The article analyzes literary and archival materials on the history of smallpox and folk remedies used for the prevention of smallpox in the territory of Northeastern Siberia, particularly in Yakutia.

Investigation of the Antiviral Activity of Experimental Samples Obtained from the Grass and Roots of Alchemilla vulgaris L. Against Vaccinia Virus and Ectromelia Virus

Introduction. The abolition of smallpox vaccination after its elimination in 1980 led to a decrease in the immunocompromised immunity in humans. Zoonotic monkeypox, camelpox, buffalopox and cowpox viruses that are close to the variola virus also pose a danger to humans. In Russia today there are no effective and safe medicines for the prevention and treatment of smallpox and other orthopoxvirus infections in humans and animals. The Lady's mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris) is a promising source for the development of new antiviral drugs. Previous studies have found that Alchemilla vulgaris shows activity against influenza virus and herpes simplex virus.Aim. The aim of this work was to study the chemical composition and antiviral activity of extracts from the roots and the grass of Alchemilla vulgaris against orthopoxviruses.Materials and methods. Qualitative analysis of the samples was performed by high performance liquid chromatography. Quantitative analysis was performed using a complex of spectrophotometric methods. To determine the toxicity and antiviral activity of experimental samples from Alchemilla vulgaris in vitro, a transplantable Vero cell culture was used. Antiviral activity of the obtained preparations was evaluated by reducing the infectivity (titer) of orthopoxviruses in the monolayer of Vero cells infected with orthopoxviruses in the presence of preparations with different concentrations relative to the cell culture infected with orthopoxviruses without the preparations.Results and discussion. It was shown that the experimental sample from Alchemilla vulgaris obtained by the method of ethyl acetate extraction from the roots of the studied plant and purified with chloroform contains mainly catechins and leucoanthocyanins (70 %). In parallel, extract from the raw mass of the grass of the plant purified with chloroform and ethanol contains the amount of flavonoids (71 %). Wherein the content of flavonoids in unpurified ethanol extracts from the roots and the grass of Alchemilla vulgaris composed 5 % and 6 %, respectively. It was revealed that purified preparations obtained from Alchemilla vulgaris roots when using ethyl acetate and ethanol as extractants showed antiviral activity against vaccinia virus and ectromelia virus, as well as preparations obtained from grass by ethanol extraction.Conclusion. Thus, purified ethyl acetate extracts from the roots and ethanol extracts from the wet grass mass of Alchemilla vulgaris exhibit antiviral activity against orthopoxviruses in vitro.

Challenges and Achievements in Prevention and Treatment of Smallpox.

Declaration of smallpox eradication by the WHO in 1980 led to discontinuation of the worldwide vaccination campaign. The increasing percentage of unvaccinated individuals, the existence of its causative infectious agent variola virus (VARV), and the recent synthetic achievements increase the threat of intentional or accidental release and reemergence of smallpox. Control of smallpox would require an emergency vaccination campaign, as no other protective measure has been approved to achieve eradication and ensure worldwide protection. Experimental data in surrogate animal models support the assumption, based on anecdotal, uncontrolled historical data, that vaccination up to 4 days postexposure confers effective protection. The long incubation period, and the uncertainty of the exposure status in the surrounding population, call for the development and evaluation of safe and effective methods enabling extension of the therapeutic window, and to reduce the disease manifestations and vaccine adverse reactions. To achieve these goals, we need to evaluate the efficacy of novel and already licensed vaccines as a sole treatment, or in conjunction with immune modulators and antiviral drugs. In this review, we address the available data, recent achievements, and open questions.

40 Years without Smallpox

The last case of natural smallpox was recorded in October, 1977. It took humanity almost 20 years to achieve that feat after the World Health Organization had approved the global smallpox eradication program. Vaccination against smallpox was abolished, and, during the past 40 years, the human population has managed to lose immunity not only to smallpox, but to other zoonotic orthopoxvirus infections as well. As a result, multiple outbreaks of orthopoxvirus infections in humans in several continents have been reported over the past decades. The threat of smallpox reemergence as a result of evolutionary transformations of these zoonotic orthopoxviruses exists. Modern techniques for the diagnostics, prevention, and therapy of smallpox and other orthopoxvirus infections are being developed today.