Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by either of two virus variants,
Variola major and
Variola minor.[1] The disease is also known by the Latin names
Variola or
Variola vera, derived from
varius or
varus. The disease was originally known in English as the "
pox"[2] or "
red plague";[3] the term "smallpox" was first used in Britain in the 15th century to distinguish variola from the "great pox".[4] The last naturally occurring case of smallpox was diagnosed on 26 October 1977.[5] Smallpox was localized in small blood vessels of the skin and in the mouth and throat. In the skin it resulted in a characteristic maculopapular rash and, later, raised fluid-filled blisters.
V. major produced a more serious disease and had an overall mortality rate of 30–35%.
V. minor caused a milder form of disease which killed about 1% of its victims.[6][7] Long-term complications of
V. major infection included characteristic scars, commonly on the face, which occur in 65–85% of survivors.