origins of smallpox
The origins of Smallpox must be known to see how it affected the outcome of the Revolutionary War and spread to New England. The exact geographical location of patient zero is still speculated upon. It is generally thought that he or she was in northeastern Africa, Egypt, or India. [1][2] The date of the first infection is also unknown. However, it is known that it was at least 3,000 years ago. [3] Ajith Matthew says many historians think Smallpox originated in or around 10,000 B.C.E. [4] One can assume that there must have been a lot of spreading to get from there to New England.
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