Smallpox is a contagious and sometimes fatal disease. There is no specific treatment for smallpox; vaccine is the only means of preventing the disease.
The pox part of smallpox is derived from the Latin word for “spotted” and refers to the raised bumps that appear on the face and body of an infected person.
One million doses of the nation’s first smallpox vaccine for certain immune-compromised populations is now complete, the result of a Project BioShield contract. The vaccines were delivered to the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), operated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Delivery of these doses began in May and will continue through 2013. The Project BioShield contract is administered by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority as part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
