View source for Smallpox risk factors

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{{Smallpox}}
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==Overview==
Smallpox is a [[contagious]] [[disease]] and contact with an infected individual could cause smallpox infection. It is also possible to acquire the infection through an airborne release of the smallpox [[virus]].

==Risk Factors==
* Laboratory work with the virus

Possible ways to become [[infected]] with smallpox include:

*Prolonged [[face]]-to-face contact with someone who has smallpox (usually someone who already has a smallpox [[rash]]).
**This was how most people became infected with smallpox in the past. However, a person can be exposed to someone who has smallpox and not become infected.

*Direct contact with infected [[bodily fluids]] or an object such as bedding or clothing that has the [[virus]] on it.

*Exposure to an [[aerosol]] release of smallpox (the virus is put in the air).
**On rare occasions in the past, smallpox was spread by virus carried in the air in enclosed places such as buildings, buses, and trains. The smallpox virus is not strong and is killed by sunlight and heat. In lab experiments, 90% of aerosolized smallpox virus dies within 24 hours; in the presence of sunlight, this percentage would be even greater.

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

[[Category:Disease]]
[[Category:Infectious disease]]
[[Category:Pediatrics]]
[[Category:Smallpox]]
[[Category:Viral diseases]]
[[Category:Poxviruses]]

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