I Thought Smallpox Was Ancient History—Then I Started Reading About It Again

I used to think smallpox was something out of dusty history books—eradicated, forgotten, and totally irrelevant to our world today. But a few days ago, I stumbled across a post that made me pause. It showed a woman’s face, scarred from smallpox, and suddenly, this “dead disease” felt very real. That’s when I decided to dig deeper.

Turns out, smallpox wasn’t just deadly—it was brutal. High fevers, vomiting, and painful rashes that turned into deep, scarring pustules. According to a great summary I found here: https://askdocdoc.com/articles/703-smallpox-symptoms-complete-guide-for-indian-readers, the symptoms were so intense that even survivors were often left blind or disfigured. AskDocDoc did a good job breaking it down for readers who didn’t grow up hearing about it.

The reason this matters now? Smallpox hasn’t entirely disappeared. While it's no longer spreading among people, the virus still exists in two high-security labs—in the US and Russia. Some experts worry about bioterrorism, and others say the knowledge of smallpox can help us fight new viral outbreaks.

I found a really thoughtful post on LinkedIn that captured this concern:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/askdocdoc_smallpox-was-eradicated-but-understanding-activity-7349082852497465344-TSvI?

And it’s not just science communities that are keeping the memory alive. Social media is quietly doing its part too.
This Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/928445279435822327 collects vintage public health posters that show just how intense the fear of smallpox once was.
An Instagram post I saw—this one: https://www.instagram.com/p/DL7kKT9xTPg/ —showed a survivor’s scarring up close. Haunting, but humanizing.

Even Twitter has voices weighing in. Here’s one that got me thinking about preparedness in a digital world:
https://twitter.com/AskDoctors24/status/1943317073796407521

And on Facebook, a community page posted a quick update reminding people that just because it’s gone, doesn’t mean it’s irrelevant:
https://www.facebook.com/122099392514743210/posts/122132408078743210

All of this made me realize: smallpox isn't just history—it's a lesson. A warning. Maybe even a guide. We can’t afford to forget what it taught us about vaccines, international cooperation, and how fast disease can change lives.