A Small Outbreak of Smallpox in Detroit

Abstract

An outbreak of smallpox consisting of 18 cases is described. The outbreak occurred principally in families closely related by blood and no case had previously been successfully vaccinated. The outbreak was slow in evolution and the disease was mild. The early cases of the disease were erroneously diagnosed as chicken pox. The probable sequence of cases connected to one another by definite contact and the nature of the illness in each case is given.