How could you have survived smallpox in the past?

Question

I watched the Kurgesagt video about smallpox and he gave a explanation by saying that the immune system took control and it eventually kills the virus,but if you can give a more in depth explanation about it becuese the virus was all over the body and it would have been very hard for the immune system to cope with it knowing that it caused so much damage

In: 8

Answer 1

In parts of China they would introduce a weakened version of it to people so that they could potentially develop immunity. They would grind up an infected person’s scabs and put the powder up a non-infected person’s nose. If they became infected, it was usually a milder version and would prevent later, more severe, infections.