Smallpox During the Revolutionary War

During the Revolutionary War a Smallpox epidemic occurred in the America Colonies. Smallpox was an extremely deadly virus and killed and estimated 30% of the people who contracted it. Compare this with 0.5% for Covid. It also had a far higher transmission rate; it is estimated the rate was 5 to 7 versus the 2 to 3 for Covid. The transmission rate is the average number of people an infected person will pass the virus on to others.

The problem was compounded since smallpox originated in Europe, and the British soldiers were far more likely to have already been exposed, and thus had acquired immunity.

The outbreak first occurred during the Siege of Boston, at the time there were two ways to deal with the spread, quarantine, or inoculation. Inoculation can be thought of as a forerunner to vaccines. It involved deliberately exposing a person to the virus, usually by scratching the skin on the upper arm, and then rubbing some infected material on the exposed scratches.

In the first encounter with the virus, an attempt was made to quarantine those infected. This proved to be ineffective as many people ignored the quarantine.

The second encounter was when the Continental Army attacked Quebec. A significant number of troops were lost to smallpox, a quarantine was put into place. The quarantine enforcement was not robust, and it ultimately failed to prevent the spread. When the troops were forced to retreat, they took the virus with them.

The failure of a quarantine to be effective in these two cases, convinced General Washington that the troops should be inoculated. This was not an easy decision and had several drawbacks. The troops receiving the inoculation would get a mild case of smallpox and be unable to fight for a couple of weeks while they recovered. During this time, they had to be kept in isolation, so as not to spread the virus. In addition, a small number would die from the inoculations, however, far less than the death rate if the troops were not inoculated.

In the end the inoculation paid off, had Washington not taken this action, and soldiers had not participated, the Revolutionary War could have ended at Valley Forge.

This was a crude method of vaccinating people. It was dangerous and those getting inoculation had to spend a couple of weeks recuperating. But these were patriots, already risking everything so that we may live in a free country. They understood that keeping the public safe from the spread of the virus was as important as doing battle with the British. At the time of our country’s greatest need, they stepped up, put their personal concerns aside and got inoculated.

Compare this to today, where we have a highly effective and safe vaccine. And yet halve of America’s are unwilling to get a vaccine that will not only slow the spread of a virus but reduce the chances that it will mutate. A vaccine that will greatly reduce their chance of getting Covid, and should they get Covid, far less likely that it will be a severe case.

They argue that there are people who got the vaccine and still got Covid. True, 95% effective is not 100%, by definition, 5 out of 100 will still get the virus, but that is far better than not being vaccinated, and the cases are milder.

Some argue they already had Covid. Maybe, and maybe it was just a cold. Why not be sure and get the vaccine.

Some say they don’t like the government telling them what to do. Sure, none of us do, but that does not relieve you of your responsibility to protect your fellow citizen.

You have the right to not get the vaccine, that is your right. But you have the responsibility to do everything possible not to spread the virus.

Remember the patriots who fought for our country, founded this great nation, sacrificed so much, that we may enjoy our rights, rolled up their sleeves.