15/10/2021
Although COVID-19 will not be eradicated because it has animal vectors (hosts), the vaccine is our most effective option for this threat to public health.
Smallpox was one of the deadliest diseases in history. Although its origins are lost in time, we think it appeared around 10,000 BC 📜
The first evidence we have is from Egyptian mummies from the 3rd century BC 🦠 We also have historical records of smallpox from China, Europe, Spain and Portugal.
⚰️ Throughout its long history tens of millions of people have died from it
Symptoms include fever, headache and backache as well as blisters that cover the body. Smallpox works fast, sometimes killing people a day or two after symptoms appear.
Those who survived were often badly scarred, blinded or both 🧑🦯
The last case of smallpox in Australia was in 1938. The last naturally-occurring case in the world was in Somalia in 1977.
Smallpox has been eradicated, thanks to a vaccine first developed in 1796 by English doctor Edward Jenner.
Vaccines - just like those available for COVID-19 - have been helping us fight diseases for decades.
If you haven’t already, book your COVID-19 vax, and don’t forget your second dose 👉 https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/covid-19-vaccination-nsw
