In the American Boston, in the found and digitized diary entries of the 18th century about outbreaks of smallpox in the city, they found similarities with the current situation with the coronavirus, writes Associated Press.
The entries were published by the Boston Library. In them, the priests describe outbreaks of smallpox that occurred in the city in 1721 and 1764. In particular, smallpox is described as “a highly contagious disease that began far from the shores of America, causing outbreaks of death that spread rapidly, infecting the masses. Vaccinations are available, but the public, split in two, is outraged that it is being vaccinated. “
It is also noted that proper vaccination against smallpox did not occur until the end of the same century, however, some were skeptical about these vaccinations. At the same time, the first vaccines were then promoted by the priest himself, who kept this diary, which is why an attempt was made on him. Another pastor wrote in his diary that he asked God for a blessing for a vaccine. He and his family recovered from smallpox after being ill and vaccinated.
Library archivist Zachary Bodnar calls an interesting parallel the fact that the records of 300 years ago have such great similarities to the present and notes that “the more we learn about the past, the more we realize that we remain the same as before.”
Earlier, the WHO said that the effects of COVID-19 will not be similar to the effects of plague and smallpox, adding that scientists continue to study the effect of the virus on the body and on the aggravation of chronic diseases.
