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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.
Historians trace the global spread of smallpox to the growth of civilizations and exploration. Expanding trade routes over the centuries also led to the spread of the disease. Highlights from History: 6 th Century—Increased trade with China and Korea brings smallpox to Japan.
11 paź 2024 · For centuries smallpox was one of the world’s most-dreaded plagues, killing as many as 30 percent of its victims, most of them children. Those who survived were permanently immune to a second infection, but they faced a lifetime of disfigurement and in some cases blindness.
Famous historical figures who contracted smallpox include Lakota Chief Sitting Bull, Ramses V, [184] the Kangxi Emperor (survived), Shunzhi Emperor and Tongzhi Emperor of China, Emperor Komei of Japan (died of smallpox in 1867), and Date Masamune of Japan (who lost an eye to the disease).
Smallpox was highly infectious, with no known cure. It began as early as 1350 BCE, with cases being found in the study of Egyptian mummies. The ancient practice of variolation (named for smallpox, also known as variola or ‘la variole’) was widely used in Asia and some parts of Africa.
30 sie 2016 · Smallpox is widespread in Africa, Asia, and South America in the early 1900s, while Europe and North America have smallpox largely under control through the use of mass vaccination. The map shows the worldwide distribution of smallpox and the countries in which it was endemic in 1945.
It was one of the most devastating diseases known to humanity and caused millions of deaths before it was eradicated. It is believed to have existed for at least 3000 years. The smallpox vaccine, created by Edward Jenner in 1796, was the first successful vaccine to be developed.
