Smallpox turned into pandemic because Vikings kept travelling thousand years ago: Study

Smallpox has been one of most feared and dely diseases with pandemic potential which has killed millions of people across world over centuries. World Health Organisation (WHO) anunced erication of smallpox in 1980 following a global immunization campaign which went on for several years.

Historian believed that contagious disease may have existed since 10,000 BC but re was proof until w. An international team of scientists have discovered that Vikings, travelling from place to place, may have led to spre of virus. 

team of researchers, led by Professor Eske Willerslev, of St John’s College, University of Cambridge, sequenced gemes of newly discovered strains of virus extracted from teeth of Viking skeletons from sites across rrn Europe. In a statement published by St John’s College, Willerslev said that genetic structure of new strains of smallpox in teeth of Viking skeletons is different from modern smallpox virus.

“We alrey knew Vikings were moving around Europe and beyond, and we w kw y h smallpox. People travelling around world quickly spre Covid-19 and it is likely Vikings spre smallpox. Just back n, y travelled by ship rar than by plane,” said le researcher.

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Emergence of smallpox unclear

Professor Martin Sikora, one of senior authors leing study, said that timeline of emergence of smallpox has always been unclear. However, y have w proved for first time that smallpox existed during Viking , by sequencing earliest-kwn strain of killer virus.

“While we don’t kw for sure if se strains of smallpox were fatal and caused death of Vikings we sampled, y certainly died with smallpox in ir bloodstream for us to be able to detect it up to 1400 years later,” said Sikora, hinting towards possibility of epidemics earlier than latest findings.

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(Im: Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo)