What if the cowpox virus had mutated into an airborne strain, and then was introduced to the Americas by early European visitors?
Cowpox is smallpox's milder relative (with a death rate of only about 3%) and was used as the first smallpox vaccine, but is only passed from infected cows (hence the name) to people who touch them. Smallpox was the leading cause of death (among many) in Native Americans after European contact (settlers went so far as to distribute smallpox infected blankets to Native Americans).
If an airborne strain of cowpox had came into existence, there's a good chance it would have been introduced to and spread through the Americas, in effect vaccinating the population against smallpox.
Obviously, lots of Native Americans would have still been killed by other European diseases, but smallpox was the heavy hitter. What would the consequences of a greater Native American population in post-Columbian Exchange America be?
Cowpox is smallpox's milder relative (with a death rate of only about 3%) and was used as the first smallpox vaccine, but is only passed from infected cows (hence the name) to people who touch them. Smallpox was the leading cause of death (among many) in Native Americans after European contact (settlers went so far as to distribute smallpox infected blankets to Native Americans).
If an airborne strain of cowpox had came into existence, there's a good chance it would have been introduced to and spread through the Americas, in effect vaccinating the population against smallpox.
Obviously, lots of Native Americans would have still been killed by other European diseases, but smallpox was the heavy hitter. What would the consequences of a greater Native American population in post-Columbian Exchange America be?