Which virus caused smallpox?
Show answer
The variola virus
The name comes from Latin „varius“ (spotted).
💡 Did you know? It infected humans only.
All questions with answers
Which unique distinction do smallpox hold in medical history?
Show answer
The only disease ever eradicated
The virus survives only in high-security labs.
💡 Did you know? A one-of-a-kind medical success.
Which English doctor developed the first vaccination in 1796?
Show answer
Edward Jenner
He used harmless cowpox for protection.
💡 Did you know? He is seen as the founder of vaccination.
From which animal does the word „vaccine“ come?
Show answer
From the cow
Latin „vacca“ means cow.
💡 Did you know? Jenner inoculated with cowpox.
In which year did the WHO declare smallpox eradicated?
Show answer
1980
The last natural case occurred in 1977.
💡 Did you know? It ended a scourge thousands of years old.
Which typical skin changes marked smallpox?
Show answer
Pus-filled pustules
They covered the whole body.
💡 Did you know? Survivors often kept deep scars.
Roughly what share of the infected died of smallpox?
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About one third
For some forms the death rate was even higher.
💡 Did you know? In the 20th century hundreds of millions died of it.
Which consequence did smallpox have for many survivors?
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Scars and blindness
The pockmarks stayed for life.
💡 Did you know? Smallpox was a common cause of blindness.
Which population did introduced smallpox decimate especially?
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The indigenous peoples of the Americas
They had no immunity to the pathogen.
💡 Did you know? Whole cultures collapsed as a result.
How did the smallpox virus spread from person to person?
Show answer
By droplets
Scabs and clothing could also transmit it.
💡 Did you know? This made it highly contagious.
Which risky forerunner of vaccination existed before Jenner?
Show answer
Variolation
A small amount of real smallpox material was transferred.
💡 Did you know? This was riskier than Jenner's method.
Which organisation ran the global eradication campaign?
Show answer
The WHO
It launched the programme in the 1960s.
💡 Did you know? Vaccination teams travelled to the remotest villages.
Does the smallpox virus still exist anywhere today?
Show answer
Only in a few high-security labs
Officially in the USA and Russia.
💡 Did you know? Whether it should be destroyed is disputed.
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