What diseases were exchanged between the Spanish and the natives?
Europeans brought deadly viruses and bacteria, such as smallpox, measles, typhus, and cholera, for which Native Americans had no immunity (Denevan, 1976).
How did Native Americans die of disease?
In addition to deliberate killings and wars, Native Americans died in massive numbers from infections endemic among Europeans. Much of this was associated with respiratory tract infections, including smallpox, tuberculosis, measles, and influenza (1, 2).
Why did smallpox spread so fast?
One of the reasons smallpox was so dangerous and deadly is because it’s an airborne disease. Airborne diseases tend to spread fast. Coughing, sneezing, or direct contact with any bodily fluids could spread the smallpox virus. In addition, sharing contaminated clothing or bedding could lead to infection.
How long does smallpox stay on blankets?
However, if cotton can become contaminated with smallpox scabs in temperate climates (20°-25°C) or is already contaminated when imported at this temperature, the experiments indicate that a few particles of virus may survive for as long as 18 months.
How many Native American died of smallpox?
They had never experienced smallpox, measles or flu before, and the viruses tore through the continent, killing an estimated 90% of Native Americans. Smallpox is believed to have arrived in the Americas in 1520 on a Spanish ship sailing from Cuba, carried by an infected African slave.
Does smallpox lie dormant?
Smallpox might also lie dormant in mummies and corpses of people who died from the disease. As the Arctic permafrost melts, accidental encounters with previously frozen diseases could become more common.
How long did it take to recover from smallpox?
After about 5 days, the pustules begin to form a crust and then scab. By the end of the second week after the rash appears, most of the sores have scabbed over. By the end of the second week after the rash appears, most of the sores have scabbed over. This stage lasts about 6 days.
How is smallpox passed from person to person?
Smallpox spreads from contact with infected persons. Generally, direct and fairly prolonged face-to-face contact is required to spread smallpox from one person to another. Smallpox also can be spread through direct contact with infected bodily fluids or contaminated objects such as bedding or clothing.
What was the cure for smallpox?
There is no cure for smallpox, but vaccination can be used very effectively to prevent infection from developing if given during a period of up to four days after a person has been exposed to the virus. This is the strategy that was used to eradicate the disease during the 20th century.
Who is most at risk for smallpox?
Pregnant women and people who are immunocompromised are more susceptible to variant forms of smallpox. It is unclear how long the smallpox vaccine provides effective immunity, but it is unlikely to be more than 10 years.
When was the last case of smallpox?
Thanks to the success of vaccination, the last natural outbreak of smallpox in the United States occurred in 1949. In 1980, the World Health Assembly declared smallpox eradicated (eliminated), and no cases of naturally occurring smallpox have happened since.
Is there a vaccine for smallpox?
The smallpox vaccine is the only way to prevent smallpox. The vaccine is made from a virus called vaccinia, which is another pox-type virus related to smallpox. The vaccine helps the body develop immunity to smallpox. It was successfully used to eradicate smallpox from the human population.
Do they still give polio vaccines?
The inactivated polio vaccine (or IPV) is now the only vaccine given in the United States to prevent polio. IPV is given as a series of four shots at 2 months, 4 months, 6 to 18 months, and again at 4 to 6 years of age.
Where did polio originally come from?
1894, first outbreak of polio in epidemic form in the U.S. occurs in Vermont, with 132 cases. 1908, Karl Landsteiner and Erwin Popper identify a virus as the cause of polio by transmitting the disease to a monkey.
Does Canada still vaccinate for polio?
IPV was introduced in Canada in 1955 and OPV in 1962. Vaccine programs in Canada switched from OPV to IPV in 1995/1996. OPV is no longer recommended or available in Canada because most cases of paralytic polio from 1980 to 1995 were associated with OPV vaccine. OPV vaccine continues to be widely used internationally.
What is the life expectancy of someone with polio?
Between 5% and 10% of people who develop paralytic polio will die. Physical symptoms may emerge 15 years or more after the first polio infection.