Smallpox

Statutory notification

• Smallpox infection is a notifiable infectious disease in Western Australia.
• Alert: cases must be reported urgently by telephone to the public health units within a few hours of first suspicion of diagnosis.
• See notifiable communicable disease case definitions.
• Notifications should be made using the communicable disease notification form for metropolitan residents (PDF 209KB) or regional residents (208KB).
• For notification of regional residents see contact details of public health units.
• See also description of statutory medical notifications in Western Australia.

Public health management

Important information

• Infectious agent: Variola virus.
• Transmission: Smallpox was spread via infective droplets during close contact with infected symptomatic people.
• Incubation period: From 7 to 19 days; commonly 10 to 14 days to onset of illness and 2 to 4 days more to onset of rash.
• Infectious period: From the time of development of the first lesions until the disappearance of all scabs; about 3 weeks.
• Case exclusion: Case should be isolated immediately.
• Contact exclusion: Contacts and those living in the immediate vicinity of a case should be vaccinated. Contacts should have their temperature monitored daily and be isolated if they develop a fever.
• Treatment: There is no cure available but vaccination can be used to prevent infection in contacts.
• Immunisation: Routine vaccination is not recommended.
• Case follow-up: Is conducted by public health units and the Communicable Disease Control Directorate.

Guidelines

• Guidelines for Smallpox Outbreak, Preparedness, Response and Management, Department of Health (external site)
• Australian Immunisation Handbook, Department of Health (external site)
• Smallpox Global Alert and Response (GAR) program, World Health Organisation (external site)

Notifiable disease data and reports

• Notifiable infectious disease dashboard
• General infectious disease reports