Smallpox, one of the biggest killers in history, is caused by a virus called variola. Variola causes a distinctive rash and is often lethal. The name variola comes from the Latin word for “spotted” ...

Today there is mounting concern about the threat of a bioterrorist attack using smallpox—so much concern that in October 2001 the American government decided to order enough vaccine to protect ...

They caused empires to fall and new ones to arise. Smallpox first emerged around 68,000 years ago. We have no idea how many people it has killed, but we do that in the 20th century alone it killed ...

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Symptoms of monkeypox can also be compared with smallpox — a related virus that was declared eradicated in 1980. Like smallpox, monkeypox causes pus-filled boils. But monkeypox is generally ...