A World Without Vaccines: A History of Smallpox

from Heather John, at Biologos:

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Smallpox vaccination was so successful, with smallpox declared as eradicated in 1979, that we have to remind ourselves of how devastating it was.2 Smallpox survivors, after enduring three to four weeks of illness with flu-like symptoms and pustules covering the body, faced potential blindness or scarring—lifelong reminders which affected at least 20 percent of the population of early modern Europe.3 In parts of Western Europe into the early 1800s, smallpox was so ubiquitous and deadly that children’s lives were not counted until they had survived it.4 Estimates of the number of deaths among those who contracted smallpox ranged from 7% to 30% in general populations with prior smallpox exposure, to percentages approaching 50% or greater among pregnant women, fetuses, and populations with no prior exposure.

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The entire post can be read here.