In the past, the pox viruses often caused the infectious disease of smallpox (synonym: Blattern, Variola), which years ago often led to complications and in severe cases even to death. Because of the enormously high risk of infection, the smallpox viruses were formerly the trigger of several epidemics.
Cause
An infection with the smallpox virus is nowadays extremely unlikely and especially in developed countries almost impossible, as the smallpox virus has been completely eradicated since 1980 and only remnants of it can be found in special laboratories. The smallpox virus originates from the family Poxviridae and is divided into two subgroups. On the one hand there is the orthopox virus and on the other hand there is the parapox virus.
Only the orthopox virus is interesting for humans, because only this virus causes the dangerous pox disease. It is important that the orthopox virus can cause two different forms of smallpox infection, because the virus has two subtypes. The cause of a smallpox infection is usually quite simple: if a patient comes into contact with a patient who is already infected, the virus is transmitted and then causes the disease in humans.
A patient can become infected in different and above all very banal ways. On the one hand via the so-called smear infection. Here it is sufficient if the virus still “sticks” to the hand of an infected patient.
If you give the hand to this patient, the virus can enter the body and cause the infection. It is important to note that the patient who transmits the virus does not necessarily have to be externally infected himself. Another cause for the transmission of the smallpox virus can be, for example, a door handle or a bus stop on the bus.
Here too, the virus can “stick” if an infected patient has previously touched this area. The smear infection shows why the virus can spread so enormously quickly and why an outbreak often leads to epidemics in the affected area.
- Orthopoxvirus variola is the first subtype, this virus causes the true smallpox, which is characterized by a high risk of infection and the classic smallpox picture.
- Orthopoxvirus alastrim on the other hand causes the harmless white pox.
Another possibility of transmission is transmission by droplet infection.
Here, patient A, who is infected, can cough up patient B. Because of the small droplets that are released and contain many virus particles, it is very likely that patient B is also infected. These two transmission possibilities are usually the cause of an infection with the smallpox virus.
It is important to know that one does not fall ill the same day after coming into direct or indirect contact with a smallpox patient. With the smallpox virus, one speaks of an incubation period of 7-19 days. This means that it can take about 7-19 days before the virus has reproduced in the body to such an extent that infection occurs.
Initially, the body itself tries to cope with the virus and fight it. Therefore it takes a certain time until the disease actually breaks out. In this time, which one calls incubation time, since one does not show yet any symptoms however nevertheless carrier of the virus is, one can already infect other patients.
This is the dangerous thing about the smallpox virus: Imagine a manager who is infected with the smallpox virus, but does not know this yet, because he does not show any symptoms yet. Every day this manager shakes hands with 20 people and thus also infects them. These 20 persons can in turn infect other persons because they do not yet show any symptoms.
This example shows how quickly an epidemic could occur. Therefore it is very important to wash and disinfect your hands regularly. However, since smallpox has become extinct in Germany and the rest of the world, it is actually not possible for a patient to become infected with the smallpox virus, as the remaining stocks of smallpox viruses are safely stored in special laboratories.
