In 14hudred and nintytwo 45 is an asshole too.

[Pat Mustard]

I wonder if there was contact at all.  The Norse were certainly not immune to European diseases and we know that after 1492 when there was documented contact the Indians died in droves from contracting those diseases.  In fact, Charles Mann in his book 1491 makes the point that most Indians died of European diseases without ever having seen a European.  The diseases were carried along internal trade routes and devastated the local population long before Europeans ever landed on the mainland and followed those trails.

If there was contact why is there no evidence either of disease spreading or surviving populations having some degree of immunity?  Would make for an interesting discussion.

It may have been a timing thing. A lot of diseases came after the mongols opened the silk road and the crusades brought back some nasties so it may have been that the Vikings that went across were relatively disease free.

Most of the European diseases which were so devestating to the Native American cultures were actually cross contaminants from domesticated animals. The Europeans had built upbimmunity from many centuries' contact with these animals. But because the Americas had no large domesticable animals (with the exceptions of llamas/alpacas) they never developed similar diseases or any immunities.