Smallpox

?Variola virus Virus classification Group: Group I (dsDNA) Family: Poxviridae Genus: Orthopoxvirus Species: Variola virus Smallpox (also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera) was a highly contagious viral disease unique to humans. It was caused by two virus variants called Variola major and Variola minor. V. major is the more deadly form, with a typical mortality of 20-40 percent of those infected. The other type, V. minor, only kills 1% of its victims. Ma ...