A world freed the threat of smallpox

c 2 "' C: Q) <f) _o 0 "' > Q) c Q) <Cl Above: Jenner demons- trates his vaccine, and a 16th century Mexican painting of smallpox victims. Dr Jenner's legacy Ut was in 1796 that an English country doctor. Edward Jenner, discovered the principle of vaccination. By 1801 more than 100.000 persons had pro- tected themselves with his vaccine, and he predicted that "the annihilation of the smallpox- the most dreadful scourge of the human species-must be the final result of this practice." In the end it took 183 years and a huge international effort. under the aegis of WHO . But Dr Jenner was proved right. L. Sirman © Jenner (right) even left his mark on the moon, where a crater bears his name. Above: In the 1870 Fran- co-Prussian war, the Prus- sians were vaccinated but the French were not-and suffered many deaths. a world Ire ::2 0 I :;: 0 0 L Q. "0 c :J E -"' N ;;::: 0 I :;: 0 0 L Q. Above: Search teams used every kind of vehicle, and offered cash rewar.ds, to track down the last case in Bangladesh, three-year- old Rahima Banu, and-in Somalia in 1977-the world's last endemic case, Ali Maow Maalin . Below: Every rumour was checked on, but proved to be chickenpox or other diseases. Right: The Certificate of Global Eradication. W oRLD HEALTH , Aug ./Sept. 1987 ed from the threat of smallpox ci 0 I The USSR proposed ~ to the 11th World 2 Health Assembly that smal lpox should be eradicated and this was approved in 1959. The programme was greatly intensified in 1967, and in four years had wiped out smallpox in Latin America. Four more years toppled the disease's last bastion in Asia . The multi-national teams closed in on Somalia, scene of "the last stand" . In December 1979, an independent commission confirmed the eradication of smallpox from the planet. '"L...c... 'l._ •<~;.,;;..,;;, ~ .. - -~ ~- ~~~u.i.JI­ . .U· ;,~.;-..~ ,;•4•~ ... 4 • ..,_ t ... - '" - .. j .... ~ '. c- ~-UL<..- ~ ... ~ ,, -· %-.;::~ 0.. Primary Health care and immunization programmes learnt valuable lessons from smallpox eradication. What next? [b ifting the heavy yoke of small-pox from a long-suffering world was probably the greatest health achievement of this century. Besides encouraging many advances in producing and safeguarding vac- cines, it showed the impact that community-based action can have on preventive health, particularly when backed by political will at the highest level. The next step is to harness the same international will and energy to bring about the whole package of educational, environmental, be- havioural, medical and managerial ac- tions that W HO calls Health for all by the year 2000 . c s 0' "' u cL 0 I s 0 0 £ 0.. ,;:;- Q) "" t: 0 I s 0 0 £ 0..