Study Links British Smallpox Vial to 1789 Indigenous Australian Outbreak
A new modeling study suggests that a British vial containing smallpox scabs was the likely trigger for the devastating 1789 smallpox outbreak among Indigenous Australians. The origin of this historical epidemic has been a subject of long-standing debate among researchers and historians. The findings from this recent study aim to provide a definitive answer to the cause of the widespread disease.
A recent modeling study indicates that a British vial of smallpox scabs likely initiated the devastating 1789 smallpox outbreak that severely affected Indigenous Australians.
For many years, the exact cause of this significant historical epidemic has been a topic of considerable discussion and investigation among experts. The new research offers a potential resolution to this enduring question.
According to Live Science, the study identifies the British vial as the probable source for the introduction of the smallpox virus into the Indigenous Australian population at that time.
