Goddesses
Article
May 28, 2022
Smallpox (known in Latin as smallpox or smallpox) is a contagious human disease caused by two types of smallpox virus called Variola vera major and Variola vera minor. Variola vera major 20-40% of those infected, and survivors often leave permanent mutilation or blindness. Variola vera minor is a milder form that causes death in only 1% of those infected. It is estimated that between 300 and 500 million people died of smallpox in the 20th century. In the past, before modern drugs and vaccines were developed, smallpox was much more deadly. However, they played the most important role after the discovery of America, when the natives of North and South America came into contact with Europeans who were infected with the smallpox virus. Unlike the colonizers, the natives did not have developed immunity, which led to a rapid spread of the disease and a dramatic decline in the indigenous population, so European colonizers were allowed easy and unhindered penetration into new areas. In 1977, the virus was eradicated in the human population and is now found only in laboratories. People are no longer vaccinated against this virus, so it is believed that it could be used as a biological weapon. The last case was recorded in 1978.