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Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. [7] [11] The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) certified the global eradication of the disease in 1980, [10] making smallpox the only human disease to have been eradicated to date.
Due to the long time spans, the first plague pandemic (6th century – 8th century) and the second plague pandemic (14th century – early 19th century) are shown by individual outbreaks, such as the Plague of Justinian (first pandemic) and the Black Death (second pandemic). Infectious diseases with high prevalence are listed separately ...
1924–1925 Minnesota smallpox epidemic; 1947 New York City smallpox outbreak; 1962-1965 rubella epidemic [2] 1976 Philadelphia Legionnaires' disease outbreak; 1976 swine flu outbreak; 1987 Carroll County cryptosporidiosis outbreak; 1990–1991 Philadelphia measles outbreak; 1993 Four Corners hantavirus outbreak; 1992–1993 Jack in the Box E ...
The 1862 Pacific Northwest smallpox epidemic was a smallpox outbreak that started in Victoria on Vancouver Island and spread among the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast and into the indigenous peoples of the Northwest Plateau, killing a large portion of natives from the Puget Sound region to Southeast Alaska.
The history of smallpox extends into pre-history. [1] Genetic evidence suggests that the smallpox virus emerged 3,000 to 4,000 years ago. [ 2 ] Prior to that, similar ancestral viruses circulated, but possibly only in other mammals, and possibly with different symptoms.
Smallpox vaccine was available in Europe, the United States, and the Spanish Colonies during the last part of the century. [4] [5] The Latin names of this disease are Variola Vera. The words come from various (spotted) or varus (pimple). In England, this disease was first known as the "pox" or the "red plague".
Smallpox is a highly contagious viral disease which can be transmitted through direct contact with a person that is already affected with smallpox. Touching clothing, bedding, dust, or any other objects that were previously touched by an infected person can result in transmission of the disease. [ 5 ]
Between 1738 and 1739, a smallpox epidemic broke out among the Cherokee who resided in the Province of North Carolina, as well as in the Province of South Carolina. The epidemic was most damaging in Eastern North Carolina. The epidemic decimated the Cherokee and Catawba peoples, causing the deaths of about half of each tribe's population. Many ...