Smallpox vaccines for biodefense.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Kennedy RB
PROVIDER: S-EPMC2764553 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Nov
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Smallpox vaccines for biodefense.
Kennedy Richard B RB Ovsyannikova Inna I Poland Gregory A GA
Vaccine 20091101
Few diseases can match the enormous impact that smallpox has had on mankind. Its influence can be seen in the earliest recorded histories of ancient civilizations in Egypt and Mesopotamia. With fatality rates up to 30%, smallpox left its survivors with extensive scarring and other serious sequelae. It is estimated that smallpox killed 500 million people in the 19th and 20th centuries. Given the ongoing concerns regarding the use of variola as a biological weapon, this review will focus on the li ...[more]
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