![]() The outbreak spread throughout the North American continent. It is not known where the outbreak began, but the epidemic was not limited to the colonies on the Eastern seaboard, nor to the areas ravaged by hostilities. Thus, this virus posed a major threat to the success of the Continental Army, led by George Washington. During this time, there was no medical technology widely available to protect soldiers from outbreaks in crowded and unhygienic troop camps. This epidemic occurred during the years of the American Revolutionary War. ![]() However, there is a period of time in which individuals are contagious but have only begun to experience minor symptoms such as fever, headaches, body aches, and sometimes vomiting. Persons infected with smallpox are infectious to others for about 24 days after their infection time. This limits the chances of the virus being unknowingly spread through contact with insect or other animal populations. Unlike some viruses, humans are the only carriers of variola major. Generally, face-to-face contact is required for an individual to contract smallpox as a result of an interaction with another human. The smallpox virus is transmittable through bodily fluids and materials contaminated with infected materials. The most common type of smallpox, ordinary, historically has devastated populations with a 30% death rate. ![]() Smallpox was a dangerous disease caused by the variola major virus.
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