The Use of Variola major in Bioterrorism

Variola major: its symptoms and possible use for bioterrorism Smallpox is a virus declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1990. It has long been considered as one of the most dangerous threats to humanity, but it has been eliminated by the coordinated efforts of several international organizations. Its role, especially the role of bleeding strains, is comparable to the effects of Zaire Ebola, Lassa hemorrhagic fever and Marburg virus.

Smallpox is a highly contagious disease caused by the smallpox virus. Smallpox has four subspecies, smallpox primarily small, smallpox, bleeding, malignant, the most common are smallpox, smallpox small. Symptoms of this disease include bleeding, blindness, low back pain, and vomiting, which usually occur immediately after the incubation period of 12 to 17 days. The virus begins to attack skin cells and eventually leads to the occurrence of pimples covering the whole body. As the disease progresses, acne is filled with pus or combined. This combination separates the sheet from the bottom skin and the top skin. This disease can spread easily using air route (cough, sneeze, breathing), contaminated bedding, clothing, other cloths.

Smallpox is an ancient disease caused by the smallpox virus. This virus exists in two main forms: a Variola major with historically about 30% mortality and a Variola minor with a mortality rate of about 1%. Smallpox is transmitted primarily by direct or indirect contact with airway droplets of the infected person. The main spontaneous onset of smallpox begins with mucosal infection of the upper respiratory tract system, then invades the bloodstream, eventually invades the skin, shows classical signs of smallpox pustules, and the patient becomes infectious Indicates that it has become. May cause death due to toxins in the blood, thrombosis and septic shock

Although smallpox may have disappeared, the smallpox virus remains controversial and remains safe in the laboratories of Russia and the United States. Concern was expressed about the prospect of smallpox as a biotero weapon. Considering that people are no longer vaccinated against smallpox, the impact of such events can be devastating. This virus is most likely to originate in primates in Africa, has infected humans for nearly a century and is spreading all over the world. Untreated HIV slowly destroys the immune system of the infected person and causes excessive opportunistic infections and cancer called acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

This is the first article in the 4th series exploring how infection affects our culture and evolution and how we influence them.