How were diseases spread during the Columbian Exchange?

The first, referred to as the “Columbian hypothesis,” asserts that the disease-causing agent Treponema pallidum originated in the New World and was spread in 1493 by Christopher Columbus and his crew, who acquired it from the natives of Hispaniola through sexual contact.

Where did smallpox come from in the Columbian Exchange?

They had never experienced smallpox, measles or flu before, and the viruses tore through the continent, killing an estimated 90\% of Native Americans. Smallpox is believed to have arrived in the Americas in 1520 on a Spanish ship sailing from Cuba, carried by an infected African slave.

What was the name of the disease European explorers became sick with that hampered their attempt to explore Africa *?

European explorers were unable to penetrate the interior part of the continent—or much beyond coastal areas—for centuries due to the rich disease environment. Europeans possessed no immunity to, or protection for, malaria which was found across huge parts of the continent.

How did smallpox spread to the New World?

Europeans brought smallpox and other diseases to the New World and diseases eventually killed off as much as 90 percent of the native population. Smallpox was just one of the many deadly diseases brought to the New World by travelers from the Old World.

What was the impact of smallpox on the New World?

3 As it moved through Mexico into the New World it is estimated that smallpox killed more than a third of the Native American population in North America in just a few months. In 1630, the disease spread to Massachusetts and killed half of the Native American population.

How did smallpox affect European expansion?

Europeans saw smallpox as an illness almost every child has while growing up. Because many Europeans had once had smallpox or were at least around it, they developed immunity. This immunity helped Europeans to be uninfected when smallpox epidemics occurred in the New World.

What effect did the introduction of smallpox have in the Americas?

Terms in this set (7) When smallpox came with the Europeans to America it impacted the Native Americans greatly. It killed millions of Native Americans and was so painful people could hardly move.

What role did Disease play in encounters between native groups and the first British settlers?

Native peoples of America had no immunity to the diseases that European explorers and colonists brought with them. Diseases such as smallpox, influenza, measles, and even chicken pox proved deadly to American Indians. Europeans were used to these diseases, but Indian people had no resistance to them.

What diseases did colonizers bring to Africa?

Sleeping sickness, smallpox and skin infections were the most obvious. Colonial authorities attempted mass inoculation campaigns for smallpox and set up quarantine zones that restricted where the porters were allowed to travel. But even so, the diseases spread. Among them was syphilis, which arrived with the Europeans.

What technological advantages did Europeans have?

Technological innovation: European colonization of the Americas was made substantially easier through several technological innovations like compasses, caravels, and astrolabes. It affected economic development by making it possible for large scale trade networks between the Old World and the New World to develop.