Migration and Health in Florida
Smallpox Outbreaks
Smallpox is an infectious disease that stems from the variola virus. It is contagious through the exchange of bodily fluids or even through extended face to face contact in some cases. In rare cases it has been known to travel through the air in enclosed areas. However, smallpox is not known to be carried from one person to the other through insects, as humans are the only ones able to host this virus.
Transmission of Smallpox
The 1926 Smallpox Outbreaks
The Florida Land Boom of 1926 lead to large portion of the population to come to Florida, either permanantly or for tourism purposes. This influx of people most likely also brought in the variola virus from other parts of the country.
Sources
Information
Pictures
Jarvis, Eric. “"Secrecy Has No Excuse": The Florida Land Boom, Tourism, and the 1926 Smallpox Epidemic in Tampa and Miami”. The Florida Historical Quarterly. 2011. 320–46. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23035877.
“Smallpox Disease Overview.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2016. http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/smallpox/overview/disease-facts.asp
US Census Bureau. Resident Population and Appointment of the U.S. House of Representatives. https://www.census.gov/dmd/www/resapport/states/florida.pdf.
“Smallpox isolation hospital.” Florida Memory Project. 1905. https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/142189
“Smallpox Victims” Florida Memory Project. 1926. https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/35053