Viking raiders were responsible for spreading the deadly smallpox to Britain and around the globe, genetic information extracted from ancient teeth has revealed. The international research team said that it is unclear if the ancient smallpox strains were as deadly — but that the Vikings likely helped the spread of the disease. Viking raiders were responsible for spreading the deadly smallpox to Britain and around the globe, genetic information extracted from ancient teeth has revealed. Caused by the variola virus, smallpox was one of the most hostile human diseases, killing more than 300 million people in the 20th century alone. 'People travelling around the world quickly spread COVID-19 — and it is likely Vikings spread smallpox.

Source: Daily Mail July 23, 2020 18:02 UTC