RT Book, Section
A1 Arrington, Amy S.
A2 Kline, Mark W.
SR Print(0)
ID 1182903794
T1 Smallpox
T2 Rudolph's Pediatrics, 23e
YR 2018
FD 2018
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9781259588594
LK accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1182903794
RD 2024/04/19
AB Smallpox  is  a  highly  infectious  disease  caused  by  the  variola  virus.  Two  distinct  variola  viruses  (major  and  minor)  exist,  and  each  manifests  different  clinical  characteristics  and  host  mortality.  The  most  common  form  of  smallpox  described  in  the  literature  was  due  to  variola  major,  which  resulted  in  severe,  disfiguring  disease  and  carried  a  30%  mortality  rate.  The  mildest  form  of  smallpox  was  due  to  variola  minor  (also  known  as  alastrim),  which  presented  similarly  to  variola  major  but  with  less  toxicity  and  had  more  superficial  lesions  that  resulted  in  a  faster  healing  time  and  lower  mortality  (1%).  The  diagnosis  of  variola  minor  was  based  on  the  assessment  of  an  outbreak  and  its  severity.  If  there  were  few  deaths  (1%),  then  the  disease  was  determined  to  be  variola  minor.