PBH 205 Paper 2 PDF

Preview

Summary

paper 2...

Description

Paper 2 Smallpox was an infectious disease that caused fever and a progressive skin rash. Smallpox was highly contagious, that could be transferred from one person to another through touch. For every ten people that contracted smallpox, three people died (CDC, 2016). This disease is the only infectious disease that has been eradicated through vaccinations. Because smallpox vaccinations are so effective, the disease is no longer a threat to the health of the public. Although smallpox itself is no longer a public health threat, experts have warned the public of smallpox-related diseases that could be just as deadly as smallpox (Rettner, 2017). In addition to smallpox-related diseases, the Mayo Clinic stated, “Samples of smallpox virus have been kept for research purposes. And advances in synthetic biology have made it possible to create smallpox from published amino acid sequences” (Mayo Clinic, 2020, para. 2). This means that the virus could be used as an agent in biological warfare, becoming a threat to public health once again. The smallpox disease spent over 3,000 years killing off and infecting the public, before it was eradicated in 1980. As a result of this disease, a vaccine was created in the 1700s. This was a critical change to public health. According to an article by Our World Data, “The eradication of smallpox is a major success story for global health for several reasons: it was a disease that was endemic – and caused high mortality rates – across all continents; but was also crucial to advances in the field of immunology as the smallpox vaccine was the first successful vaccine to ever be invented” (Ochmann & Ritchie, 2018, para. 1). Once smallpox was contracted, there was no treatment or cure. This is why the development of the smallpox vaccine has been crucial for the safety of

the public’s health. One of the most expressive advocates of the smallpox vaccination was Benjamin Franklin. While working with others to prevent further spread of smallpox, he lost one of his sons due to not being inoculated. After losing his son to the disease, Franklin stated that he regretted not noculating his son. He then continued to work to ensure that the public would get vaccinated to prevent additional deaths by the disease. His objective was to prevent any further infections or deaths caused by smallpox. According to the New York Times, “Franklin became one of the colonies’ leading proponents of inoculation, trumpeting his advocacy in the pages of his own newspaper, The Pennsylvania Gazette” (Markell, 2011, para. 11). Franklin’s persuasion influenced the future of the public to get vaccinated. When it comes to addressing and treating smallpox, public health professionals work to continue the prevention of the disease. Public health workers encourage people to get the vaccination and to vaccinate their children. These professionals have also developed response activities in the case that smallpox was being contracted by the public again (CDC, 2016). In contrast, a medical professional would treat smallpox once already contracted by the patient. Their goal is to cure the disease. According to the World Health Organization, “there is no cure for smallpox…” (WHO, 2016, para. 8). However, there have been developments in antiviral drugs which medical professionals administer to patients to treat the disease.

References Best, M., Katamba, A., & Neuhauser, D. (2007, December). Making the right decision: Benjamin Franklin's son dies of smallpox in 1736. Quality & safety in health care. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2653186/. Markel, H. (2011, February 28). Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Vaccines. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/01/health/01smallpox.html. Ochmann, S. O., & Ritchie, H. (2018, July 20). Smallpox is the only human disease to be eradicated – here's how the world achieved it. Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/smallpox-is-the-only-human-disease-to-be-eradicatedheres-how-the-world-achieved-it. Rettner, R. (2017, October 31). Smallpox-Related Viruses Are Still a Threat to Humans, Experts Warn. LiveScience. https://www.livescience.com/60824-poxvirusesthreat.html#:~:text=Smallpox%2DRelated%20Viruses%20Are%20Still%20a %20Threat%20to%20Humans%2C%20Experts%20Warn ,-By%20Rachael %20Rettner&text=Smallpox%20has%20been%20eradicated%20for,risk %20to%20humans%2C%20experts%20say. Shulman, M. (2008, January 3). 12 Diseases That Altered History. U.S. News & World Report. https://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2008/01/03/12-diseasesthat-altered-history. Smallpox. Mayo Clinic. (2020, September 22). https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/smallpox/symptoms-causes/syc20353027.

Smallpox. World Health Organization. (2016, June 28). https://www.who.int/newsroom/q-a-detail/smallpox. What is Smallpox? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016, June 7). https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/about/index.html....