| 1707–1708 Iceland smallpox epidemic | |
|---|---|
| Disease | Smallpox |
| Virus strain | Variola major |
| Location | Iceland, Kingdom of Denmark |
| Index case | Icelandic man who died en route from Denmark [1] |
| Dates | 1707–1709 |
| Confirmed cases | Over 30,000 |
Deaths | 12,000 |
Iceland experienced one of its deadliest outbreaks of smallpox beginning in 1707. The epidemic ultimately killed around 12,000 Icelanders, close to one-quarter of the island's population at the time.
Iceland in 1707 was a territory of the Kingdom of Denmark with 53,681 people according to one tally of the 1703 census.[2] Epidemic diseases like smallpox did not naturally sustain themselves on the island due to the relatively sparse population, but frequent trade and travel with Denmark presented a vulnerability to cross-Atlantic spread of contagious diseases. Smallpox had crossed the ocean before in 1670, causing a two-year epidemic, and since then a new generation of people had developed with no immunity to the disease.[3]
In 1707, smallpox arrived in Iceland aboard a ship from Denmark when a passenger fell sick and died with the disease. Despite being buried at sea, the index case's contaminated clothing remained and infected at least one other person on board.[1] The next year it had spread to almost every town across Iceland. The last reported cases were in the spring of 1709. Ultimately, the outbreak may have killed a quarter of the population of Iceland at the time.[1]
