About smallpox
Smallpox was a serious disease caused by the variola virus. Smallpox is the only infectious disease to have been completely wiped out worldwide – officially eradicated in 1979 after an international immunisation campaign.
Disease type:
Listed human
Vaccination available under NIP:
No
Notifiable disease:
Yes
National guidelines
Prevention, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment
For information about prevention, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment, see healthdirect's smallpox page.
Surveillance and reporting
Smallpox is a nationally notifiable disease.
We monitor cases through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS).
For more on smallpox in Australia, you can search Communicable Diseases Intelligence.
Date last updated: