ECONOMICS (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -When the Europeans arrived, carrying germs which thrived in dense, semi-urban populations, the indigenous people of the Americas were effectively doomed. They had never experienced smallpox, measles or flu before, and the viruses tore through the continent, killing an estimated 90% of Native Americans.

Detailed explanation-2: -It killed an estimated 400, 000 Europeans each year in the 18th century, including five reigning European monarchs. Most people became infected during their lifetimes, and about 30% of people infected with smallpox died from the disease, presenting a severe selection pressure on the resistant survivors.

Detailed explanation-3: -Death was due to systemic shock (body-wide infection) and toximemia (toxins in the blood). Smallpox is a very contagious disease, with secondary attacks affecting up to 80% of household contacts. Often, people who survived the disease had long-term problems, such as blindness and severe scarring.

Detailed explanation-4: -Between 1492 and 1600, 90% of the indigenous populations in the Americas had died. That means about 55 million people perished because of violence and never-before-seen pathogens like smallpox, measles, and influenza.

Detailed explanation-5: -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.