In the absence of conclusive evidence, the French and the Italians were right in strongly protecting their reputation from the smear of syphilis. Blame means repercussions The American Indians did not complain. And today history mainly says they gave the disease to the crew of Columbus, who brought it back for circulation in Naples, where the epidemic exploded in 1495. Still, the American Indian may have been at the receiving end of that disastrous bargain. Cases of syphilis among them were, after all, more numerous on the coast than among interior Indians who had limited contact with Europeans.
History shows there are repercussions for being blamed for a plague.
When the Black Plague broke out in Europe, Jews were held suspect and were persecuted for it. Spurred by the same type of ignorance, Africans blamed their diseases on albinos and had them killed. Race was not the issue. The albino African was a black person with very light skin.