Isolation & Quarantine Measures in Response to a Smallpox Emergency

Infection Control in Places without Infrastructure

In places where the existing medical infrastructure has been overwhelmed or where one doesn’t exist, several things should still be implemented:

  1. Suspected patients should be segregated away from other patients as much as possible is areas where there is good air circulation to the outside of the facility (open windows, encourage airflow from the room to the outside of the facility).
  2. Healthcare workers should still utilize standard precautions to prevent mucous membrane deposition of body fluids and protect themselves, even if vaccinated.
  3. If suspected smallpox patients are grouped together, must vaccinate them all.
  4. Clean water is important to prevent secondary bacterial infection in patients with extensive skin lesions.

Burning is the easiest method of waste disposal in places where the medical infrastructure is compromised. Surface cleaning with a fresh bleach solution would serve as an acceptable means of decontamination.

Burial Issues

Embalming and open casket funerals should not be done for people who have died from smallpox. Outbreaks have been associated with open casket funerals. If possible, the safest way to deal with remains is cremation, but if that is not possible, containing and sealing the remains then burying them in the ground can be done. 

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