1899: Nursing care raises smallpox survival among Hopi

A comparison of historic records of smallpox survival rates among Hopi communities in Arizona in 1898–99 finds that those who receive government care survive more often than those who refuse care. Bureau of Indian Affairs records indicate that among the 421 Hopi who accepted nursing, 24 of them (or 6 percent) died, while there were 163 deaths among the 220 who refused care—or 74 percent mortality.

Theme

Epidemics, Federal-Tribal Relations

Region

Southwest