Q. Consider the following statements regarding smallpox and monkey pox?
1) Both smallpox and monkey pox diseases are caused by Orthopoxvirus.
2) Both diseases spread by person to person transmission.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Answer: C
Notes:
Statement 1 is correct. Smallpox is caused by variola virus, genus Orthopoxvirus. Other members of this genus that can infect humans are vaccinia virus, monkeypox virus, and cowpox virus. In 1980, the World Health Organization officially declared the worldwide eradication of smallpox.
Statement 2 is correct. Smallpox spread from person to person is principally respiratory; contact with infectious skin lesions or scabs is an uncommon mode of transmission. After zoonotic transmission, monkeypox spread from person to person is principally respiratory; contact with infectious skin lesions or scabs is another, albeit less common, means of person-to-person spread.
