Smallpox medical therapy
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: João André Alves Silva, M.D. [2]
Overview
There is no antiviral treatment for smallpox. In case of disease, it is only possible to manage the wellbeing of the patient, hydrate and administer certain drugs to treat concomitant bacterial and/or viral infections.
Medical Therapy
So far none of the antiviral drugs have been proven effective against the smallpox virus. The investigation for a suitable drug has been impaired by:[1][2]
- Absence of natural disease
- Difficulty in finding an animal host
- Reserved access to the virus
The main form of treatment is to keep the patient comfortable throughout infection and prevent concomitant infections. This can be achieved by:
- IV fluids for hydration
- Antibiotics for concomitant bacterial infections
- Antiviral drugs for concomitant viral infections
- Antipyretics to manage the fever
- Analgesic drugs to manage the pain
References
- ↑ Moore, Zack S; Seward, Jane F; Lane, J Michael (2006). "Smallpox". The Lancet. 367 (9508): 425–435. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(06)68143-9. ISSN 0140-6736.
- ↑ Smee DF, Sidwell RW (2003). "A review of compounds exhibiting anti-orthopoxvirus activity in animal models". Antiviral Res. 57 (1–2): 41–52. PMID 12615302.