What are the different causes of chickenpox and smallpox

Chickenpox and smallpox are both serious diseases that threaten humans. If these two diseases occur, they must be treated as soon as possible. If the treatment is not timely, it will cause serious damage to your body. Therefore, many patients with these diseases want to fully understand the different causes of chickenpox and smallpox. The following content gives a detailed introduction so that you can have a comprehensive understanding.

smallpox

A highly contagious disease caused by the smallpox virus. Smallpox is one of the oldest infectious diseases and also one of the infectious diseases with the highest mortality rate. It has been prevalent all over the world in history and brought great disasters to mankind. In the 18th century, more than 150 million people died of smallpox in Europe. Smallpox virus is a virus similar in size and shape to the cowpox virus. Under an electron microscope, it is rectangular, with a diameter of 230~300 nanometers, and is resistant to dry heat and low temperatures. It can be destroyed by heating to 55℃ for half an hour. The only source of smallpox infection is smallpox patients. The main transmission routes are through droplets and dust, and it can also be indirectly transmitted through daily necessities. After one illness, you will gain lifelong immunity. Immunity after vaccination can last for 4 to 5 years. The incubation period of this disease is 6 to 16 days. The onset is sudden, with chills, high fever, vomiting, and pain in the head, waist, and limbs, and convulsions and coma may occur. The rash will disappear completely after 2 to 4 days. The rash is distributed centrifugally, with more on the head, face, and proximal limbs and less on the trunk. Initially, it appears as dark red papules, and papules appear after a few hours. After 2 to 3 days of papule stage, the rash gradually turns into blisters, which are acne, with a red halo around it. After 5 to 8 days, the herpes will irritate and gradually become pustules, which will be painful and the surrounding redness will deepen. At this time, the temperature rises again, which is called "purulent fever". After 10 to 14 days, the body temperature gradually drops, the pus scabs gradually dry up, or break and form scabs, and finally form a scab cover. After another 2 to 4 weeks, the scab will fall off naturally, causing an itchy sensation and leaving blister marks, called "pockmarks".

The disease is serious and has a high mortality rate. The most effective and easiest way to prevent smallpox is to get vaccinated against smallpox. This method played a very important role in controlling and eradicating the spread of smallpox. In 1980, the World Health Organization announced that smallpox had been eradicated worldwide.

chicken pox

Varicella is an infectious disease caused by the varicella virus. It can occur throughout the year, but is especially common in winter and spring. Preschool children are more susceptible to the disease. Infants under 6 months old are less likely to get the disease. It is more common in children and can easily cause an epidemic in nurseries and kindergartens. The disease is mainly transmitted through respiratory droplets and is highly contagious. Once infected, one can be immune for life.

The incubation period is 10-24 days, and the onset is relatively acute, with symptoms such as fever, headache, sore throat, limb pain, nausea, and vomiting. The patient usually sees a doctor 24 hours after onset of the disease. The rash first occurs on the trunk and then gradually spreads to the head, face and limbs. It initially appears as a red, needle-sized macules, which turn into papules a few hours later, and then after a few more hours turn into bean-sized blisters surrounded by a red halo. The contents of the blisters are clear like water droplets, the blister walls are thin and easy to break, and they dry and form scabs after 2-3 days. No scars are left after the scabs fall off. People feel itchy and blisters are prone to bacterial infection after being scratched. The entire course of the disease lasts about 2 weeks.

There are significant differences between smallpox and chickenpox. Clinically, the symptoms of smallpox are more severe and the fever peak is higher. The smallpox rash is distributed centrifugally, while the chickenpox rash is distributed centripetally, which can help distinguish mild smallpox from severe chickenpox. There is another important point: epidemic report, both diseases are contagious and have corresponding sources of infection.

The above content comprehensively introduces the different causes of chickenpox and smallpox. After understanding the causes of these two different diseases, for patients, in order to avoid causing greater harm to their bodies, they must choose a large hospital as soon as possible and receive comprehensive treatment to recover from their illness as soon as possible.