Cowpox facts for kids
Cowpox is a skin disease. It is caused by a virus called the Cowpox virus. This virus is related to the Vaccinia virus. When people or animals get cowpox, they often have red blisters on their skin. The disease can spread from cows to humans through touch.
A long time ago, the virus that causes cowpox was used to make the very first successful vaccination. This vaccine protected people from a deadly disease called smallpox. Smallpox was caused by the Variola virus, which is also related to cowpox. Because of this, the word "vaccination" comes from the Latin word vaca, which means cow!
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How Vaccination Started
In 1798, an English doctor named Edward Jenner made an important discovery. He lived in the countryside. He noticed something interesting about his patients who had caught cowpox and then recovered. They seemed to be protected from getting cowpox again. Even more surprisingly, they also seemed to be protected from smallpox. Smallpox was a very dangerous disease back then, and it killed many people.
So, Dr. Jenner had an idea. He took some fluid from the cowpox lesions (sores) of people who had cowpox. He then gently scratched this fluid into the skin of healthy people. This method helped those people become protected against smallpox. It was the first time a vaccine was used to prevent a disease!
About Cowpox Today
The Cowpox virus is mostly found in Europe, especially in the UK. It's very rare for humans to get cowpox today. When they do, it's usually from domestic cats. The virus isn't commonly found in cows anymore. Instead, the main animals that carry the virus are woodland rodents, especially voles. Cats often get the virus from these rodents.
If a cat gets cowpox, it might have sores on its face, neck, front legs, and paws. Sometimes, they can also get a mild cold. In humans, cowpox usually causes a few pustular (pus-filled) sores, usually on the hands. These sores appear where the virus entered the skin. It takes about 9 to 10 days from when someone gets infected to when they first show signs of the disease. The virus is most often found in late summer and autumn.
Historical use
Cowpox was the original "vaccine" for smallpox. After a person was infected with cowpox, their body learned to recognize parts of the similar smallpox virus. This helped their body fight off smallpox much better if they ever came into contact with it.
Later on, and even today, a different vaccine called vaccinia was used. Vaccinia is similar to cowpox, but it's not exactly the same.
Related pages
Images for kids
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Cowpox (variola vaccina) pustules on a cow's udder
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In The Cow-Pock—or—the Wonderful Effects of the New Inoculation! (1802), James Gillray caricatured recipients of the vaccine developing cow-like appendages.
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See also
In Spanish: Virus de la viruela bovina para niños
