How smallpox reached the Americas: first genomic evidence points to Europeans

The top 3

  1. The Black Death's Devastation: The Black Death, caused by Yersinia pestis, ravaged Europe, Asia, and North Africa from 1346 to 1353, killing an estimated 75 to 200 million people, including up to 50% of Europe's population.
  2. Smallpox: Centuries of Global Mortality: Smallpox, caused by the variola virus, is estimated to have killed 300 million people in the 20th century alone and around 500 million in its last 100 years, devastating indigenous populations in the Americas after European contact.
  3. The 1918 Flu: A Rapid Global Killer: The 1918 influenza pandemic, known as the "Spanish Flu," infected about a third of the world's population and is estimated to have killed 17 to 100 million people globally, making it one of the deadliest pandemics in history.

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