Pandemics of History - Smallpox (Variola Virus)

Friends and colleagues, dumb ole baws, Facebook pandemic experts, I welcome you to the second edition of “Pandemics of History.” In this series I will explain in detail some of the worst plagues to ever befall mankind. Today’s subject is the Smallpox Virus, or scientifically named, the Variola Virus.

Smallpox is a devastating virus which killed 3 out of every 10 people it infected. Symptoms include fever, body aches/pains, vomiting, rashes, blisters, and sores. The exact place and time where Smallpox originated is still unknown, but some historians believe it can be traced to the Egypt around the 3rd Century BCE. Archaeologists have discovered three mummies that had “smallpox like rashes.” Other historical accounts have pinned the beginning of the virus to China in the 4th Century CE. Smallpox outbreaks have devastated civilizations throughout much of history, and it cannot be narrowed down to one specific pandemic like other diseases. Here is a timeline for the spread of the Smallpox virus around the world



It is impossible to calculate how many people died from Smallpox throughout history, but an estimated 300 million people died from the disease in the 20th century alone. As recently as the 1950’s, there was an average of 50 million Smallpox cases per year. During the 18th century, an average of 400,000 Europeans died every year from Smallpox virus, including 80% of children who were infected. Native Americans were particularly vulnerable, as an estimated 90% of them died from contracting Smallpox introduced by European settlers.

The last known cases of Variola Virus were in the late 1970’s, and the disease was officially announced as eradicated from the world in 1980. Only two labs in the world still have stocks of the Smallpox virus, ready to be released into the world during the next election year. One sample is located at the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, while the other is located at the VECTOR Institute in Koltsovo, Russia