Smallpox is a serious infectious disease that no longer occurs anywhere in the world.
It was caused by a virus called variola. The last naturally acquired case in the world occurred in 1977. Since smallpox has been eliminated from all countries, a single case would be considered an international public health emergency . By close contact with the respiratory discharges of a person with the disease or contact with objects contaminated by an ill individual. The classic smallpox skin rash appeared several days after the other symptoms.