Smallpox

Smallpox is a viral disease that was abolished in the 1980’s through vaccination and modern medicine. But before these recent advances in health-care, smallpox was a very deadly disease that spread throughout the world and killed many. In the 1950’s, around 15 million cases of smallpox were reported each year. When infected, you encounter flu-like symptoms and rashes. It is also common to feel nausea or headaches.The origin of smallpox will probably never be discovered, as it dates back farther than 10,000 B.C.E.. But the earliest, accurate evidence of smallpox was found in a mummy’s tomb over 3 millennials ago. When spaniards came to the Americas, they brought soldiers to conquer the land of the natives, including the Incas. But what they didn’t know is that they had brought over diseased personnel, predictably contaminated with smallpox. The natives of America have never encountered these viruses, leaving them vulnerable to smallpox. This made it very easy for Francisco Pizarro, a Spanish conquistador, to conquer part of the New World. Smallpox killed sixty to ninety percent of the Inca populations, giving the Spaniards authority.

By: Brian Cottingim