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| | 02-017t (Smallpox in New England) |
 | | For the smallpox virus to survive for protracted intervals as a potentially infectious agent, a large, vulnerable population living close to each other is required, with many newborns constantly replenishing the pool of susceptibles. |
 | | Thus, as the interval between smallpox epidemics lengthened, the fraction of the population with immunity to smallpox diminished, the number of susceptibles increased, and the likelihood of a major epidemic was heightened. |
 | | Smallpox was highly contagious and was therefore a frequent companion of mercantile ventures, invading armies, fleeing masses of refugees, and religious pilgrimages. |
| www.brown.edu /Administration/News_Bureau/2002-03/02-017t.html (6015 words) |
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