Today, a number of news outlets ran stories claiming that smallpox, which was declared eliminated in 1980, had returned to Supaul, Bihar and affected more than 100 people from 35 families. They alarmingly circulated the false information after confusing chickenpox with smallpox.
Congress’ National Herald founded by Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru wrote that smallpox has spread in a village in Bihar and the locals are claiming medical negligence.
The same report was carried out by Times Now, which noted that smallpox had impacted people of all ages, including children and the elderly.
It didn’t take Deccan Herald long to also report that smallpox had made a comeback in the northern state of India.
Mid-Day reported that assistance for smallpox victims arrived three months late.
The misinformation disseminated by the media has also prompted responses on social media. Affirming that smallpox has long been wiped out, a netizen implored the media to refrain from spreading false information.
Another social media user told a news outlet to fire its editor.
Sanjay Mehta informed that if it was indeed smallpox then “there would be worldwide panic.” He also pointed out that the standard of journalism has dropped over the years.
Another individual told the news platform to collect their money from the World Health Organization.
It is important to note that the fundamental difference between chickenpox also known as varicella and smallpox is that the former is easily curable with the right medication and some simple precautions while the latter has a high mortality rate.
The life-threatening disease of smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by the variola virus often called the smallpox virus which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. It is estimated that the disease killed at least half a billion people in the last hundred years. However, the last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization certified the global eradication of the disease in 1980, making it the only human disease to be exterminated.
Notably, following significant efforts, 188,000 cases and 31,000 fatalities from the perilous disease were reported in 1974. The Indian government increased its efforts to search, contain, and vaccinate the masses. The last instance of smallpox was reported in 1975, although efforts to maintain surveillance also persisted afterwards.
Ninety-five per cent of people who received the smallpox vaccine were protected from contracting the disease. Furthermore, when given shortly after being exposed to the variola virus, the immunisation prevented or considerably lessened the sickness. Finally, India proclaimed its freedom from smallpox in 1979.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, and the Russian State Centre for Study on Virology and Biotechnology in Koltsovo, Novosibirsk Region, Russian Federation are the only two WHO-designated locations where stocks of the variola virus are stored and used for research purposes.
Chickenpox misconstrued as smallpox
Interestingly, chickenpox outbreaks are a frequent occurrence in Supaul. Last year, within the Marauna block area of the district, in the wards one and two of Belahi Panchayat, over twenty children and young adults contracted the sickness. All the people were constantly examined by the medical team and were advised to maintain cleanliness. They were told to take antibiotic medicine along with vitamin A and paracetamol. In May this year, Live Hindustan reported several cases of Chickenpox in Tengraha Parihari in Bihar.
It is clear that the chickenpox has been wrongly mentioned as smallpox in the reports.
The classic symptom of chickenpox is a rash that turns into itchy, fluid-filled blisters that eventually turn into scabs. It may initially appear on the chest, back, and face before spreading throughout the body and into the mouth, eyelids, or genital region. Sometimes, the disease is also accompanied by fever. It is also highly contagious.