Viruses - Part 2

Epidemic: The Boston Small Pox, 1721

Although many Small Pox Epidemics have occurred since time began, I'd say the Boston Small Pox in 1721 was surely an epidemic that changed people's lives for sure. Small Pox is an infection caused by the virus called the Variola Virus and  is what caused this dreadful epidemic. It occured between April to December 1721, where 5889 people were diagnosed with Small Pox but luckily only 844 out of the 5889 died because of it. Only a few percent of the total people who got infected actually died because some people were starting to become immune to this infection thanks to something called Inoculation. Inoculation is the term to describe placing a weaker version of the infection into our body so that we will be able to recognize it in the future which is more commonly known as a Vaccine. This might seem as a lucky break but overall this caused over 3 quarters of all the deaths in Boston in that year.

1. Small Pox is very contagious. It can not only be spread by making contact with the person but also making contact with anything the person has touched. For example if a person with Small Pox slept on a bed, and I slept on the same bed without changing the bedsheets, I have a high chance of catching the Infection too. Also Small Pox can be spread by aerosolized droplets that come from coughing and moist saliva in the air.

2. Symptoms of Small pox may not appear until 7 - 17 days after the person has been infected.  But when symptoms start to show they include; (From beginning to end)

• Fatigue, Headache, Vomiting
• Rashes all over body
• Rashes turn into bumps
• Bumps turn into Blisters filled with fluid
• Blisters turn into Pustules
• Pustule crust over creating scabs
• Scabs usually make scars

And in some cases, blindness can occur if Blisters are formed around the eyes.

3. During this Epidemic, luckily only 844 out of the 5889 people infected died.

4. This Epidemic occurred in Boston from April 1721 - December 1721.

5. According to history, no one knows how the Epidemic started, because Small Pox has been a problem for humanity for many centuries but they do know that it was spread like a Wildfire due to it being very Contagious.

Here is an awesome website were I was able to find all the details about the Boston Small Pox Epidemic:

http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/contagion/smallpox.html

Above is a close up of what a Small Pox Virus looks like.