Smallpox Inspections
A young Native American boy in Yukon Territory is checked for smallpox and vaccinated against the disease in this circa-1900 photograph. Smallpox killed some 300 million people worldwide in the 20th century before it was eradicated in 1977. Today the biggest threat from smallpox comes from its possible use as a bioterrorism agent.
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Smallpox
The disease, now eradicated, was once one of the world's deadliest.
Smallpox ranks among the most devastating illnesses ever suffered by humankind. It dramatically altered the course of human history, even contributing to the decline of civilizations. Officially the deadly virus no longer exists. After a final outbreak in the United States in 1949, the virus was declared eradicated in 1980 following a successful vaccination program regarded as one of the greatest triumphs of modern medicine.
Smallpox is an acute contagious disease caused by the variola virus. It gets its name from the Latin word for "spotted," referring to the raised, pustular bumps that break out over the face and body of those affected. Historically the virus killed around 30 percent of people who caught it. Those who survived were
