Average number of smallpox deaths per age group in pre-vaccination Sweden 1774-1798
In the pre-vaccination era in Sweden, smallpox was responsible for a considerable number of deaths annually, with over 92 percent* of these deaths occurring in children below the age of ten. Between 1774 and 1798, records show that smallpox was responsible for an average of 4,131 deaths annually, with 2,370 (over 57 percent) of these occurring in children below the age of three. When compared with similar studies from Switzerland and Scotland during this time period, we can see that the proportion of deaths among infants and children was even lower in Sweden than in other areas; highlighting the devastating impact that smallpox had on Europe's infant and child mortality rates before vaccination became available.