Suffering with two dissimilar diseases
Dinesh Kumar Jain in Homeopathy, 2022
Hahnemann concluded that cowpox and smallpox both prevent the development of one other. Both diseases have similar symptomatology. So Hahnemann said that one disease homeopathically cured other diseases. Hahnemann gave emphasis on similar symptomatology, but what was the truth? It was not the similarity in symptomatology of cowpox and smallpox, which cured each other. It was the immunological and serological similarity of both types of viruses. Smallpox is due to variola virus. Cowpox is also a viral disease. By knowledge of pathology, we know, “Cowpox virus resembles that of smallpox morphologically and immunologically and the histological changes in the skin at the site of vaccination are essentially identical with those of smallpox” (Pinkerton, 1971, p. 394).
A brief history of pandemics
Edward M. Rafalski, Ross M. Mullner in Healthcare Analytics, 2022
History’s second most deadly pandemic after the Black Death was caused by an avian influenza virus that emerged in 1918 and spread around the globe, carried initially on troop ships engaged in World War I [6]. Influenza viruses also caused the pandemics of 1889, 1957, 1968, 2009, and likely others in history prior to the discovery of viruses. Influenza is spread by respiratory droplets (Table 2.1), but depending on the host and environmental conditions, it can also spread via aerosol or fomites. Smallpox, caused by the variola virus, is spread in a similar manner and has been causing epidemics since prehistoric times. In modern history, smallpox caused many regional epidemics at the level of a city or country. One example was the introduction into the island nation of Japan in 735; smallpox spread rapidly and is estimated to have killed up to one-third of the population [7]. Recurrences were common until 1206, occurring 5–32 years apart. Smallpox was also the centerpiece of what is known in history as the “Columbian Exchange” where the ships of Spanish explorers including Columbus carried syphilis from Central America back to Europe in 1494 and seeded smallpox and other diseases in Mexico in 1520 [8]. Syphilis spread rapidly through Europe following invasions during the Italian Wars, killing an estimated 50,000 persons [1]. Smallpox is thought to have killed half the population of Mexico City in the first year after introduction, and it may have wiped out as much as 95% of the indigenous populations of South and Central America in subsequent decades.
The Injection Pathway and Other Entry Channels
Antonietta Morena Gatti, Stefano Montanari in Advances in Nanopathology From Vaccines to Food, 2021
Vaccination or something similar to it is a very old medical practice: the Chinese and the Indians employed variolation (administration of infected material taken from human patients suffering from smallpox) centuries before Edward Jenner did with the bovine variety of the pathogen, and the practice was also in use in Africa, in Persia and in Turkey long before being spread in Europe and, much later, in America. The aim of that pharmacological treatment based on the observation of immunity acquired by those who had fallen ill and had recovered was that of inducing immunity to a certain disease. For many centuries it was only smallpox, through the administration of the pathogen in a hopefully harmless form. As a matter of fact, the practice was not always risk-free and mortality was far from negligible, but it is more than probable that the practice was, after all, advantageous.
Molecular engineering tools for the development of vaccines against infectious diseases: current status and future directions
Published in Expert Review of Vaccines, 2023
Wenhui Xue, Tingting Li, Ying Gu, Shaowei Li, Ningshao Xia
Infectious pathogens present a considerable threat to global health, and their prevention and control remain a primary focus of the global public health system [1]. Various strategies, such as monitoring, social distancing, and vaccination, are employed to mitigate and control infectious diseases [2,3]. Among these approaches, vaccination is the most cost-effective and efficient method for preventing and treating infectious diseases [4]. Large-scale vaccination campaigns have successfully eradicated the highly virulent smallpox virus throughout history [5]. Moreover, vaccination has significantly decreased the incidence and mortality rates of numerous severe infectious diseases, including polio [6], rotavirus enteritis [7], hepatitis B [8], diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis [9], cervical cancer, mumps [10], and others. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report, the widespread use of vaccines can save between 3.5 and 5 million lives annually. Despite varying acceptance and accessibility of vaccines across different nations and regions, their impact on public health is undeniable [11]. However, as human society rapidly develops, the complexity of viruses we face continues to increase [12]. The unpredictable COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates that emerging high-risk and highly variable viruses still pose substantial threats and present significant global health challenges [13]. Furthermore, effective protective vaccines for pathogens such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Zika virus are still lacking [14,15]. Overcoming these challenges necessitates further advancements in vaccine research and development.
Potential therapeutic targets for Mpox: the evidence to date
Published in Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Targets, 2023
Siddappa N Byrareddy, Kalicharan Sharma, Shrikesh Sachdev, Athreya S. Reddy, Arpan Acharya, Kaylee M. Klaustermeier, Christian L Lorson, Kamal Singh
MPX is a zoonotic disease. It is caused by infection with Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) virus (MPXV). MPXV is transmitted via infected skin, body fluids, and respiratory droplets. Symptoms include Flu-like conditions and rashes1. MPXV is a linear double-stranded DNA virus with a genome length of ~ 200 kb, which encodes ~ 200 proteins [2]. It belongs to the order Chitovirales, the family Poxviridae, and the genus Orthopoxvirus. Other examples of the Orthopoxvirus genus are the cowpox virus (CPXV), buffalopox virus (BPXV), vaccinia viruses (VACV), and the variola virus (VARV). Of these, CPXV and BPXV are of veterinary and agriculture importance, and cause zoonotic disease. VACV has been extensively studied since all smallpox vaccines have been derived from VACV.
Reemergence of monkeypox: prevention and management
Published in Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy, 2022
Sahaya Nadar, Tabassum Khan, Abdelwahab Omri
The CDC Drug Services provides the following vaccine recommendations for individuals placed in the high risk category by virtue of occupational exposure to this virus. A live, non-replicating vaccine, JYNNEOS is approved by the US FDA for the prevention of smallpox and monkeypox in adults (18 years and older) who were assessed to have a high risk of infection. The JYNNEOS vaccine is different from ACAM2000 and APSV as it is an attenuated live virus. Being in a replication-deficient form, it can be used toward certain immune deficiencies like AIDS or atopic dermatitis [75,76].The ACAM2000 is a live vaccine for active immunization against smallpox disease licensed by the US FDA for people who are at high risk of contracting smallpox. It is free from the variola virus, so they cannot cause smallpox but has the vaccinia virus belonging to the poxvirus family. There may be incidences of head and body aches, rash and fever owing to the presence of the vaccinia virus. Some groups of people, specifically those who are immunocompromised, are susceptible to severe complications caused by vaccinia [77,78].Aventis Pasteur Smallpox Vaccine (APSV)
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