What is meant by variolation?
variolation, obsolete method of immunizing patients against smallpox by infecting them with substance from the pustules of patients with a mild form of the disease (variola minor).
What is variolation and how it is done?
In Asia, practitioners developed the technique of variolation—the deliberate infection with smallpox. Dried smallpox scabs were blown into the nose of an individual who then contracted a mild form of the disease. Upon recovery, the individual was immune to smallpox.
Who found out that deliberate administration of smallpox could prevent its occurrence later in life especially in children?
In 1757, an 8-year-old boy was inoculated with smallpox in Gloucester (4); he was one of thousands of children inoculated that year in England. The procedure was effective, as the boy developed a mild case of smallpox and was subsequently immune to the disease. His name was Edward Jenner.
When was Variolation first used?
Etiologic Agents of Infectious Diseases
| 1000 AD | First recorded use of variolation (intentional inoculation with variola) in China using nasal insufflation; variolation by cutaneous inoculation likely practiced in India |
|---|---|
| 1939 | Vaccinia virus recognized as distinct from cowpox |
Why is the smallpox vaccine no longer given?
Vaccines Recommended for Travel and Some Specific Groups After smallpox was eliminated from the world, routine vaccination against smallpox among the general public was stopped because it was no longer needed.
Is smallpox a virus or bacteria?
Before smallpox was eradicated, it was a serious infectious disease caused by the variola virus. It was contagious—meaning, it spread from one person to another. People who had smallpox had a fever and a distinctive, progressive skin rash.
Who is father of vaccine?
Edward Jenner is considered the founder of vaccinology in the West in 1796, after he inoculated a 13 year-old-boy with vaccinia virus (cowpox), and demonstrated immunity to smallpox.
What is variolation in microbiology?
Variolation, obsolete method of immunizing patients against smallpox by infecting them with substance from the pustules of patients with a mild form of the disease (variola minor).
What is variolation and how dangerous is it?
Variolation gets its name from Variola – the scientific name for the smallpox virus. Infection with variola major, the most severe strain of the smallpox virus, had a mortality of around 35%. People would often contract the virus through inhalation.
Where did the practice of variolation originate?
The practice, which originated in China and India, was based on two distinct concepts: first, that one attack of smallpox effectively protected against any subsequent… …was an early proponent of variolation, or the inoculation against smallpox through the use of live, unmodified virus taken from patients with mild cases of the disease.
What is variolation of the nose?
Variolation. Dried smallpox scabs were blown into the nose of an individual who then contracted a mild form of the disease. Upon recovery, the individual was immune to smallpox. Between 1% to 2% of those variolated died as compared to 30% who died when they contracted the disease naturally.