History of smallpox in Mexico

The history of smallpox in Mexico started with Spain's conquest of the Aztec Empire in the early 16th century. Smallpox in Mexico has a history of 450 years. Smallpox was introduced to Mexico by the Spanish. It was an important factor in the fall of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire.

Before the arrival of European colonists, smallpox did not exist in the entire American continent. Hernán Cortés arrived in Mexico in 1519. In 1520, the first wave of smallpox killed 5-8 million people. From 1545 to 1576, up to 17 million people died from smallpox. The population of Mexico fell from over thirty million people to about 1.5–3 million by 1568. The spread of smallpox throughout Mexico followed the communication and trade routes throughout the country. There was another major epidemic between 1790 and 1791. This started attempts to stop the disease, with quarantines, inoculation, isolation and the closing of roads in New Spain. Charity boards were created, where rich people of the city donated money to build hospitals and to help and cure the sick.

In 1803, Spanish doctor Francisco Javier Balmis started a vaccination program.

The Vaccination and Revaccination Act was passed in 1925, making it legally required for citizens to be vaccinated from smallpox and revaccinated every 5 years. Over 28 million vaccines were given from 1944 to 1949. Smallpox was declared extinct in Mexico in 1951.