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The Native American small pox is a strand of small pox that ravaged the Native American population between 1500-1900 killing nearly half of the Native American population. It is a very deadly disease cause by the variola virus.

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- Back and muscles pain
- Rashes, small bumps, blisters, scabs, or scars
- Fever
- Malaise
- Chills
- Headache
- Vomiting

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Before the early 1500s it was mostly a virus that affected the European nations killing 1/3 Europeans that was infected until it was brought in to the New World in the start of the 15th century which became known as the Americas. Due to the novelty of the virus the indigenous people there had no form of immunity or herd immunity to protect them, resulting in the lost of half of Native American life.

Although this virus is very scary in how quick it can spread and devastate a population, thanks to the discovery and use of vaccines small pox is one of the human based virus that is almost completely eradicated.

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The main factor that allows the virus to spread so quickly was the mass migration to the new world. This race to the Americas introduced many new vectors that would not have been there otherwise or at the very least not as quickly allowing time to build up an immunity to the virus.

The second and more sinister factor was the active use of the virus as a biological weapon against the Native Americans.There is historical data that supports the claim that in the 1800s the US cavalry gifted infected blankets with the intention of spreading the virus among the Native American population.

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Small pox is very contagious and can spread very quickly. It can be spread through airborne droplets, saliva, skin-to-skin, blood, and infected surfaces.

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In the pursuit of controlling and preventing global pandemics now and in the future, it is important to look to the past and observe other instances of epidemics and study the factors that allow a disease to run rampant. The 15th century Native American small pox epidemic is a very good example of the dangers of mass migration and travel. It also serves as an example of a worst case scenario of a virus used as biological weapon. Lastly, it illustrates the importance of vaccines.

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Ghio, A. J. (2017). Particle Exposure and the Historical Loss of Native American Lives to Infections. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 195(12), 1673–1673. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201609-1810le

Patterson, K. B., & Runge, T. (2002). Smallpox and the Native American. The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, 323(4), 216–222. doi: 10.1097/00000441-200204000-00009

Smallpox. (2017, July 12). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/index.html#:~:text=Thousands of years ago, variola,United States occurred in 1949.