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.
