Smallpox

Smallpox is an acute contagious disease caused by the variola virus, a member of the orthopoxvirus family. It was one of the most devastating diseases known to humanity and caused millions of deaths before it was eradicated. It is believed to have existed for at least 3000 years. The smallpox vaccine, created by Edward Jenner in 1796, was the first successful vaccine to be developed. He observed that milkmaids who previously had caught cowpox did not catch smallpox and showed that a similar inoculation could be used to prevent smallpox in other people. The World Health Organization launched an intensified plan to eradicate smallpox in 1967. Widespread immunization and surveillance were conducted around the world for several years. The last known natural case was in Somalia in 1977. In 1980 WHO declared smallpox eradicated – the only infectious disease to achieve this distinction. This remains among the most notable and profound public health successes in history. The WHO Smallpox Secretariatbased in WHO Headquarters coordinates all smallpox eradication-related and post-eradication activities. These include overseeing permitted The WHO Smallpox Secretariat'scurrent roles and responsibilities include: Variola virus research and development of countermeasures • organizing annual meetings of the • coordinating review of • managing relationships with the two variola virus repositories (which are also WHO Collaborating Centres) • recording, processing and monitoring requests fro...

Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. To learn more or opt-out, read our By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. This image contains sensitive or violent content Tap to display To encourage the public to vaccinate against smallpox in the 1940s, the New York State Board of Health used this photograph with the caption, “This man was never vaccinated against smallpox.” AP The horrors of the past year have given us a brief glimpse into what it’s like to live in a world ravaged by infectious disease. It’s easy to take for granted now that very few babies in rich countries die of disease in infancy, that most infectious diseases are treatable, and that there are vaccines available when we need them. But humanity only made the transition into that new world fairly recently. Smallpox eradication was a major part of that. Over the course of the 20th century, country after country fought it back. The World Health Assembly declared on May 8th, 1980 that it was gone for good. Its gradual eradication meant ending the needless suffering and death of millions and millions of people every year. It’s not minimizing the suffering wrought by the coronavirus pandemic — or forgiving the negligence that made the Covid-19 death toll so much higher than it needed to b...

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Smallpox is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. Its hallmark symptom is a distinctive rash that changes in appearance as the disease progresses. ( Smallpox is deadly, killing around 3 in 10 people who are infected. Some experts estimate that in the 20th century alone, smallpox was responsible for 300 million deaths. ( A global smallpox immunization campaign led to the eradication of the disease in the late 1970s. Today, two government research laboratories — one in the United States and the other in Russia — hold the last remaining stores of the virus responsible for smallpox. ( After a person is infected with the variola virus, there is a nonsymptomatic incubation period during which the virus replicates in the body. This stage lasts anywhere from 7 to 19 days, with an average of 10 to 14 days. The first symptoms are usually: • High fever • Headaches • Body aches, including backaches • Vomiting These symptoms typically last two to four days and are severe enough to prevent normal day-to-day activities. Other possible symptoms may include: • Chills • Severe • Fatigue • Delirium • Diarrhea • Malaise • Nausea • Excessive bleeding (1, After the first symptoms of headaches, fever, and body aches, the next sign of the disease to appear is a rash, beginning with small, flat red spots on the tongue and in the mouth. The rash develops into sores that break open. Typically within a day, the rash spreads to the face and then to the arms and legs, followed by the hands, fe...

Author • Richard Gunderman Chancellor's Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University Disclosure statement Richard Gunderman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Partners The Conversation UK receives funding from these organisations View the full list Recent outbreaks in the U.S. have drawn attention to the dangers of Epidemics are nothing new, of course. And some widespread infectious dieseases have profoundly changed the course of human history. Five hundred years ago, in February of 1519, the Spaniard Hernán Cortés set sail from Cuba to explore and colonize Aztec civilization in the Mexican interior. Within just two years, Aztec ruler Montezuma was dead, the capital city of Tenochtitlan was captured and Cortés had claimed the Aztec empire for Spain. Spanish weaponry and tactics played a role, but most of the destruction was wrought by epidemics of European diseases. Conquest of the Aztec empire After helping conquer Cuba for the Spanish, Cortés was commissioned to lead an expedition to the mainland. When his small fleet landed, he ordered his ships scuttled, eliminating any possibility of retreat and conveying the depth of his resolve. A 17th-century copper plate of Tenochtitlan. Discovering widespread resentment toward the capital city and its ruler, Cortés formed allianc...