![]() ![]() ![]() The vaccine should be given before or one week after exposure to the virus. A vaccine can protect you from getting sick or cause you to get less sick if you get smallpox. Anyone who had contact with someone who had smallpox would need a smallpox vaccine. If a smallpox outbreak happened, people with smallpox would be isolated to try to stop the spread of the virus. ![]() Sometimes, smallpox causes vision loss (blindness). People who recover from smallpox usually have severe scars, especially on the face, arms and legs. These more-severe forms are most common in pregnant women and children. However, some rare types of smallpox are almost always deadly. But because releasing the virus could spread the disease quickly, governments are preparing for this possibility. Using smallpox as a weapon is an unlikely threat. But getting smallpox this way is less likely. Smallpox can also spread through contact with contaminated clothing and bedding. Rarely, smallpox can spread through the air inside buildings, infecting people in other rooms or on other floors. Coming in contact with skin sores also can cause you to get smallpox. An infected person can spread the virus when they cough, sneeze or talk. You can catch the smallpox virus by being around someone who has it. Smallpox can be spread from person to person when the rash appears and until the scabs fall off. Scabs form 8 to 9 days later and eventually fall off, leaving deep, pitted scars. Within a day or two, many of the spots turn into small blisters filled with clear fluid. The face, arms and legs are often affected first, followed by the torso, hands and feet. They may start in the mouth and on the tongue and then spread to the skin. These include:Ī few days later, flat, red spots appear on the body. This time is called the incubation period.Īfter the incubation period, sudden flu-like symptoms occur. However, the virus can be in your body from 7 to 19 days before you look or feel sick. The first symptoms of smallpox usually appear 12 to 14 days after you're exposed to the smallpox virus. This photograph was taken in Bangladesh in 1974. ![]()
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