Smallpox
Smallpox was a serious contagious illness caused by variola virus. It has been eradicated: there is no ongoing natural transmission. Vaccination was central to ending the disease. This information describes the historical illness and should not be read as a warning of a current outbreak.
Prevention: Vaccine
Symptoms
- High fever and marked illness
- Headache, body aches, and sometimes vomiting
- Sores in the mouth followed by a spreading skin rash
- Firm, raised spots that become pustules and later scabs
Transmission
- Historically, prolonged close contact and inhaling droplets from an infected person
- Contact with infected sores or scabs, or contaminated clothing and bedding
Prevention
Routine smallpox vaccination is not recommended for the general public because the disease has been eradicated. In an emergency, health authorities would coordinate vaccination and infection-control measures. Follow official advice if a confirmed exposure is ever reported.
Traveler risk
Smallpox is not a routine travel infection. Its inclusion in a vaccine library may help explain older vaccination records or specialist vaccination contexts; it does not imply a need for ordinary travel vaccination.
Source
- Smallpox
Based on CDC information
Source language: English
Source reviewed: October 22, 2024
Source accessed: May 17, 2026
- CDC: How Smallpox Spreads
Based on CDC information
Source language: English
Source accessed: October 7, 2026
- CDC: Smallpox Vaccine
Based on CDC information
Source language: English
Source accessed: October 7, 2026
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