smallpox
n.a very serious and contagious disease that caused a high fever and bumps on the skin. It was a major cause of death for centuries until it was completely wiped out by vaccines in 1980.
n.an acute, highly infectious viral disease caused by the variola virus, characterized by high fever and a distinctive pustular rash. It is the only human infectious disease to have been eradicated globally through vaccination efforts.
“Doctors used vaccines to wipe out smallpox worldwide.”
“Historical records show that smallpox outbreaks often devastated entire populations before the discovery of the first vaccine.”
“The successful eradication of smallpox remains the crowning achievement of global public health, demonstrating how coordinated international action can permanently eliminate a biological threat to humanity.”
Typically used without an article when referring to the disease itself.
“Yang explained that poxviruses—the family of viruses that includes smallpox and mpox—appear to use RNA cleanup systems to degrade RNAs and keep infected cells functioning long enough for the virus to continue replicating.”
“At that point, the CDC recommended children receive a vaccine against smallpox , a combination vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis , known as the DTP vaccine, and a vaccine against polio .”
From small + pox, in contrast to greatpox (“syphilis”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.