• 🦠 New research using transmission modelling suggests the 1789 smallpox epidemic in the Sydney region likely originated from the British outpost, potentially spreading thousands of kilometers and causing up to 220,000 Aboriginal deaths over decades.

• 🗺️ The study refutes previous theories of northern Australian origin, showing no plausible pathway for the disease to reach Sydney from the north in time for the 1789 outbreak, strongly supporting a Sydney-linked genesis.

• 🏘️ Modelling indicates the disease could have persisted for up to 21 years, spreading across Australia and having a devastating impact on Indigenous communities, disrupting families, knowledge systems, and cultural practices with effects still felt today.

#Smallpox #IndigenousHistory #AustralianHistory