The Harmful Effects Of Smallpox: Affect The World

Since ancient times, Smallpox has devastated the world, killing millions of people. Often referred to as the speckled monster, the smallpox disease originated in the new world when Spanish and Portuguese conquistadors and early English settlers arrived in the Americas. Although there had been attempts to cure the disease, including variation, (that came from Asia 2,000 years ago), they all had a high risk of death. It wasn’t until 1796, when Edward Jenner, a English paleontologist came up with a new form of vaccine, it was called inoculation. The disease decimated the local population and was one of the main reasons for the fall of the Aztec and Inca empires. Likewise, on the eastern coast of North America, the disease was introduced by the early settlers and led to the death of millions of natives. The damaging effects of smallpox is often considered an example of biological warfare. Another aspect contributing to smallpox in the Americas was the slave trade because many slaves came from regions in Africa where smallpox was endemic. Smallpox affected all levels of society. In the 18th century in Europe, 400,000 people died annually of smallpox, and one-third of the survivors went blind. The symptoms of smallpox, appeared suddenly and the sequelae were destructive. The case-fatality rate varied from 20% to 60% and left most survivors with disfiguring scars. The case-fatality rate in infants was even higher, approaching 80% in London and 98% in Berlin during the late