Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by one of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor.[7] The agent of variola virus (VARV) belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus.[11] The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) certified the global eradication of the disease in 1980.[10] The risk of death after contracting the disease was about 30%, with higher rates among babies.[6][12] Often those who survived had extensive scarring of their skin, and some were left blind.[6]
The initial symptoms of the disease included fever and vomiting.[5] This was followed by formation of ulcers in the mouth and a skin rash.[5] Over a number of days the skin rash turned into characteristic fluid-filled blisters with a dent in the center.[5]The bumps then scabbed over and fell off, leaving scars.[5] The disease was spread between people or via contaminated objects.[6][13] Prevention was achieved mainly through the smallpox vaccine.[9] Once the disease had developed, certain antiviral medication may have helped.[9]
The origin of smallpox is unknown;[14] however, the earliest evidence of the disease dates to the 3rd century BCE in Egyptian mummies.[14] The disease historically occurred in outbreaks.[10] In 18th-century Europe, it is estimated that 400,000 people died from the disease per year, and that one-third of all cases of blindness were due to smallpox.[10][15]Smallpox is estimated to have killed up to 300 million people in the 20th century[16][17] and around 500 million people in the last 100 years of its existence,[18] including six monarchs.[10][15] As recently as 1967, 15 million cases occurred a year.[10]
Inoculation for smallpox appears to have started in China around the 1500s.[19][20] Europe adopted this practice from Asia in the first half of the 18th century.[21] In 1796 Edward Jenner introduced the modern smallpox vaccine.[22][23] In 1967, the WHO intensified efforts to eliminate the disease.[10] Smallpox is one of two infectious diseases to have been eradicated, the other being rinderpest in 2011.[24][25] The term "smallpox" was first used in Britain in the early 16th century to distinguish the disease from syphilis, which was then known as the "great pox".[26][27] Other historical names for the disease include pox, speckled monster, and red plague.[3][4][27]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallpox
above. Laura Branigan - Self Control - All Night Fuji (1984)
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