Smallpox | Wikipedia audio article

This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article: Smallpox 00:02:08 1 Classification 00:02:57 2 Signs and symptoms 00:05:13 2.1 Ordinary 00:07:04 2.2 Modified 00:07:48 2.3 Malignant 00:08:46 2.4 Hemorrhagic 00:10:32 3 Cause 00:10:51 3.1 Evolution 00:12:45 3.2 Virology 00:14:23 3.3 Transmission 00:16:27 4 Diagnosis 00:18:55 5 Prevention 00:24:51 6 Treatment 00:26:46 7 Prognosis 00:28:34 7.1 Complications 00:30:12 8 History 00:30:21 8.1 Disease emergence 00:36:28 8.2 Eradication 00:43:39 8.3 Post-eradication 00:46:57 9 Society and culture 00:47:07 9.1 Biological warfare 00:53:13 9.2 Notable cases 00:57:42 9.3 Tradition and religion 01:00:29 10 See also Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago. Learning by listening is a great way to: - increases imagination and understanding - improves your listening skills - improves your own spoken accent - learn while on the move - reduce eye strain Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone. You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuKfABj2eGyjH3ntPxp4YeQ You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through: https://github.com/nodef/wikipedia-tts "The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing." - Socrates SUMMARY ======= Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by one of two virus variants, variola major and variola minor. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977 and the World Health Organization (WHO) certified the global eradication of the disease in 1980. The risk of death following contracting the disease was about 30%, with higher rates among babies. Often those who survived had extensive scarring of their skin and some were left blind.The initial symptoms of the disease included fever and vomiting. This was followed by formation of sores in the mouth and a skin rash. Over a number of days the skin rash turned into characteristic fluid filled bumps with a dent in the center. The bumps then scabbed over and fell off leaving scars. The disease used to spread between people or via contaminated objects. Prevention was by the smallpox vaccine. Once the disease had developed certain antiviral medication may have helped.The origin of smallpox is unknown. The earliest evidence of the disease dates back to the 3rd century BC in Egyptian mummies. The disease historically occurred in outbreaks. In 18th century Europe it is estimated 400,000 people per year died from the disease, and one-third of the cases resulted in blindness. These deaths included those of four reigning monarchs and a queen consort. In the 20th century it is estimated that smallpox resulted in 300–500 million deaths. As recently as 1967, 15 million cases occurred a year.Edward Jenner discovered in 1798 that vaccination could prevent smallpox. In 1967, the WHO intensified efforts to eliminate the disease. Smallpox is one of two infectious diseases to have been eradicated, the other being rinderpest in 2011. The term "smallpox" was first used in Britain in the 15th century to distinguish the disease from syphilis, which was then known as the "great pox". Other historical names for the disease include pox, speckled monster, and red plague.