Tegnell A, Wahren B, Elgh F
Department of Epidemiology, Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control (SMI), Solna, Sweden.
Clin Microbiol Infect. 2002 Aug;8(8):504-9. doi: 10.1046/j.1469-0691.2002.00525.x.
Smallpox is a disease that followed humanity for thousands of years up until 30 years ago. It was possible to eradicate, because an effective live vaccine from crossreacting vaccinia could be developed. Twenty years have passed since vaccinations stopped and very few people are protected against the disease today. Variola today has become an object of discussion due to the possibility that it can be used as a bioweapon. Due to the number of complications that can be expected a general vaccination is probably not possible. Research is ongoing to develop new vaccines. Many countries are improving their capabilities to respond to a renewed threat of a smallpox epidemic.
天花是一种伴随人类数千年的疾病，直到30年前才得以根除。之所以能够根除天花，是因为可以研发出一种有效的、来自交叉反应痘苗的活疫苗。自停止接种疫苗至今已有20年，如今几乎没有人对这种疾病具有免疫力。由于天花病毒有可能被用作生物武器，因此如今它已成为人们讨论的对象。鉴于可能出现的并发症数量，大规模接种疫苗或许不可行。目前正在进行研发新型疫苗的研究。许多国家正在提升应对天花疫情再次威胁的能力。
