Diplomate, Board Certification of Emergency Medicine
Chairman, Department of Emergency Medicine Ma'ayenei
Hayeshua Hospital
Before we start on new diseases, let's speak about success
with old ones. The pox virus is the largest virus, yet is
still microscopic. It looks like a lollipop with an octagon
on top. Two of these viruses are worth mentioning.
Smallpox is a virus that used to kill. One of the ways the
colonists were so successful in colonizing America was
because they had immunity to smallpox, while the natives did
not and were soon dying of the disease that the Europeans
brought with them. Pasteur discovered a similar disease in
cattle called cowpox, and began immunizing people, who then
became immune to smallpox due to the similarity in the virus
structures. Soon dead virus was discovered to have the same
effect, and techniques were developed to kill the virus,
which was then injected into people. Those of us over forty
have the small scars from this immunization.
Then it was discovered that smallpox can only live in humans
and a worldwide effort began to give vaccines against the
virus. The last case of smallpox was reported in the African
country of Cameroon more than thirty years ago. Presently,
there are only two specimens of viruses left in the world --
one in a guarded refrigerator at the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia
in the USA and one in Moscow. As people are presently not
immunized, if these two would be stolen and released, a
massive epidemic would ensue. To destroy these last two
specimens would end the threat forever, but political
considerations have not as yet allowed this.
Another pox virus also has new good news. Chicken pox used
to be the scourge of childhood. Oatmeal baths, calamine
lotion and antihistamines, along with parents up all night
used to be the treatment. Since this disease can be a lot
worse in adults, in Britain they used to expose their
children on purpose to the disease so they would get it over
with early. Now we have antivirals that can significantly
affect the duration and severity of this disease (Zovirax is
one, made by our sponsor Glaxo) and recently a vaccine
against this disease has been developed as well.
The disease in children usually resolves without a problem,
but the virus can travel up nerves where it cannot be
destroyed by the body, and then later in life return to
create a painful condition called zoster. Many people call
this shingles. Antivirals work well here as well, although
the condition is very painful. Infected sores, pneumonia,
and brain infection are rare side effects of chicken pox.
The face of infectious disease is always changing and there
are successes. Next week we'll look at a disease we have
been less successful, with -- the most lethal one known to
man. Guess which one it is? Write me in care of the
Yated.
