The History of Smallpox and How It Became Eradicated

Smallpox is an ancient and very deadly disease. Scientists think that smallpox first started around 10,000 B.C. in Africa. They also think that it spread from Africa to India by Egyptian merchants. Scientists have studied the mummy of the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses V., who died in 1156 B.C., and they think that he had smallpox. Smallpox was also known to be in China in 1122 B.C. There are also writings from India around that same time that mention smallpox. Smallpox is the only disease to ever be eradicated, which means it is no longer around. The last person to have it was in Somalia in 1977.

Smallpox first appeared in Europe between the 5th and 7th centuries and was common in the Middle Ages. There was an epidemic of smallpox around the time that the Roman Empire began to fall, which was around 108 A.D. This epidemic was known as the “plague of Antonine” and killed about 7 million people. Smallpox was a really big cause of the falls of the Aztec Empire in Mexico and the Inca Empire in Peru. It was brought to North America by early settlers, and killed a lot of Native Americans. In the 18th century, around 400,000 people in the world died each year from smallpox. About 30% of people who were infected with the major kind of smallpox died. The rate was higher for babies in the 1800s; about 80 to 90% of infected babies died. About one-third of the people who got sick, but survived, went blind because of blisters on their eyes. People who did survive had very bad scars on their bodies, including their faces. In England in the 18th century, they called smallpox “the speckled monster.”

During the French and Indian was in the 18th century, British soldiers used smallpox as a biological weapon. They gave blankets from people who had been ...

... middle of paper ...

...ever been eradicated. All of the smallpox samples were destroyed except two. One is stored frozen at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and the other is stored frozen at the VECTOR Institute in Russia.

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, and the anthrax threats, people became worried that smallpox could be used for bioterrorism, since at least half of the people in the U.S. have not been vaccinated, and those who have, were vaccinated more than 30 years ago. Luckily, the smallpox vaccine works if it is given within 4 days of being exposed to it. So, the government came up with a plan to make and keep enough vaccine for every American. If there is a terrorist attack, the people who are exposed will be vaccinated. The vaccine causes problems, like allergies, in some people so it has been decided that it will only be used if needed.