"In a maximum-security facility in Atlanta, the world's most dangerous prisoner sits in solitary confinement, awaiting execution. The world's most dangerous prisoner is the smallpox virus."1 What is smallpox? "Smallpox is a serious, contagious, and sometimes fatal infectious disease that spreads from one person to another. There is no specific treatment and the only prevention is vaccination."2 Smallpox is caused by the variola virus that's been around for thousands of years. Transmission of the disease usually occurs by prolonged face-to-face contact; however, it can be spread by contaminated objects such as bedding or clothing as well as infected bodily fluids. According to the Centers for Disease Control, humans are the only natural hosts of the variola virus, and animals and insects do not carry or transmit the disease. 3
             Exposure to the virus is usually followed by an incubation period that can last anywhere from seven to seventeen days. During this time period, people do not exhibit any symptoms of the disease. The first symptoms that usually appear include fever, which ranges from 101 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit, head and body aches, and in some cases, vomiting. This particular stage of the disease is referred to as the prodrome phase and lasts about two to four days. Around the fourth day, small red spots begin to appear in the mouth and on the tongue, which develop into sores that break open causing large amounts of the virus to spread throughout the body. It's during this stage of the disease that a person is the most contagious. A rash soon appears starting at the face and spreading to other parts of the body within a twenty-four hour period. The fever begins to subside and the patient begins to feel better. By the third day, small bumps begin to appear and by the fourth day, these bumps are filled with a thick, opaque fluid. These bumps are referred to as pustules-raised bumps ...