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Smallpox was not introduced into the
Americas until the early1500s, when it supposedly arrived with an infected
African slave. The effect of this disease on the Native Americans
was immediate and catastrophic. The initial mortality rate was
staggering and the disease demoralized and terrified the Natives.
Even today, with hospitalization,
adequate nutrition and good nursing care, health officials predict
an outbreak of smallpox in the United States would result in a 30% mortality
rate. |
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