Monkeypox and smallpox are both viral diseases caused by viruses from the same genus family, Poxviridae, but they have distinct differences in terms of symptoms, severity, and treatments. Smallpox, one of the most concerning and deadly diseases in human history, was caused by the variola virus. In 1980, it became the first disease to be eradicated through vaccination efforts by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Smallpox is an animal-borne infection that showed symptoms such as high fever, severe fatigue, and painful rashes that turned into pus-filled sores all over the body. Survivors were often left with permanent scars (pockmarks) and, in some cases, blindness.
