smallpox

American  

[smawl-poks] / ˈsmɔlˌpɒks /

noun

Pathology.

1. an acute, highly contagious, febrile disease, caused by the variola virus, and characterized by a pustular eruption that often leaves permanent pits or scars: eradicated worldwide by vaccination programs.

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smallpox British  

/ ˈsmɔːlˌpɒks /

noun

1. Technical name: variola.  an acute highly contagious viral disease characterized by high fever, severe prostration, and a pinkish rash changing in form from papules to pustules, which dry up and form scabs that are cast off, leaving pitted depressions

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smallpox Scientific  

/ smôl′pŏks′ /

1. A highly infectious and often fatal disease caused by the variola virus of the genus Orthopoxvirus and characterized by fever, headache, and severely inflamed skin sores that result in extensive scarring. Once a dreaded killer of children that caused the deaths of millions of Native Americans after the arrival of European settlers in the Americas, smallpox was declared eradicated in 1980 following a worldwide vaccination campaign. Samples of the virus have been preserved in laboratories in the United States and Russia.

2. Also called variola

3. See Note at Jenner

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smallpox Cultural  

1. An acute and infectious disease caused by a virus and now almost completely eradicated. Smallpox was characterized by high fever and large sores on the body that leave scars.

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Discover More

Today, the smallpox virus exists only in laboratories.

A surface with many blemishes is sometimes said to be “pockmarked” because it resembles the skin of a smallpox sufferer.

The use of smallpox is a major concern in the area of bioterrorism (see also bioterrorism).

Smallpox is the first disease of humans to be completely eradicated by a worldwide campaign of inoculation.

Etymology

Origin of smallpox

First recorded in 1510–20; small + pox

Explanation

Smallpox was a deadly, contagious virus that left survivors scarred and often blind. A smallpox vaccine was developed in 1796, but the disease wasn't officially eradicated until 1980. Smallpox is a great example of what vaccination campaigns can accomplish. During the 20th century, there were as many as 500 million deaths from smallpox. It was particularly dangerous for children, 80 percent of whom died from it after being infected. Smallpox was notable for the rash of pustules it caused on the skin, as well as a high fever and muscle pain.

Example Sentences

Perhaps their greatest contribution was championing smallpox inoculation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

WHO has played a role in eradicating smallpox and tackling public health threats like polio, HIV, Ebola and tuberculosis.

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

The WHO helped eradicate smallpox, established a framework that led to a dramatic worldwide reduction in tobacco use and helped control numerous pandemics, from Ebola to mpox to Zika.

From Salon • Feb. 28, 2026

By 1529, she had died, possibly succumbing to smallpox, a European scourge.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 25, 2026

Later, it was the vaccine of the Reverend Hall, fetched from the mainland, that guarded the rest of the Ojibwa who had been exposed and who survived the smallpox of 1847.

From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich