In April 1789, Sydney, Australia, experienced one of its most violent outbreaks of smallpox when the disease swept through Aboriginal and colonial Australians on the coast.[1][2] The outbreak began in early March with the first cases appearing in tribes living near Port Jackson. [3] Aboriginal communities had no preexisting immunity to smallpox, and suffered mortality rates of around 70%. [4]
Smallpox in Sydney
Aboriginal tribes on Arnhem Land first contracted smallpox when they made infectious contact with fishermen from southeast Asia.[5][6] Governor Arthur Philip estimated that around half of the Aboriginal population around Sydney harbor died in the outbreak. [6]