What are the symptoms of smallpox and how soon after exposure do they appear?
After a person is exposed to the virus, symptoms usually begin within 12 to 14 days but can begin any time between seven and 17 days. The first symptoms include fever (101-104 degrees Fahrenheit), malaise (not feeling good), headache, backache, sometimes vomiting, and occasionally mental confusion. At this time, people are usually too sick to carry on their normal activities. Two to four days after the first symptoms, a rash emerges. As the rash appears, the fever usually falls and the person may feel better. The rash begins in the mouth, spreads to the face, to the arms and legs (including hands and feet), and to the rest of the body within 24 hours. The rash first looks like raised bumps that then fill with a thick fluid and often have a depression in the center that looks like a belly button. Within five to 10 days, the bumps become sharply raised, round and firm pustules. Within two weeks, the pustules form a crust and become scabs. During the third week of the rash, the scabs fall
