Sunday, November 16, 2014

A virus called Variola

Smallpox is an infectious disease caused by the virus orthopoxvirus variolae, one of the biggest virus that affects humans. He was known when a mummy from 1550-1307 BC showed traces of the virus. Upon entering in the human organism, the virus on a given host cell where proteins and their manufacture multiply in the cytoplasm of the same. The body's immune system reacts against the virus by destroying the cells before the virus multiple, but the immune system is unable to completely block the multiplication of the virus because it produces the protein causes the same to be resistant to antibodies.
Disease transmission occurs through contact with sick people and the objects used by the same person. After 14 days of incubation, the disease begins to manifest, the first symptoms are fever, malaise, fatigue, body aches, red spots, vomiting and nausea. The red spots that appear on the skin become purulent bubbles after a period dry and form scabs.
As the disease weakens, the immune system of the individual there is a great possibility of this period, contracting new diseases and infections. How is a disease caused by a virus, there are no specific treatments, and the concern is focused on the consequences that the disease can leave. The disease can be prevented by establishing vaccine immunity against the virus. Currently, smallpox is a disease virtually extinct since a long time does not make victims, however there is concern there chemical weapons with the virus used to kill enemies in combat.


Source: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/smallpox/en/

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