Imagine what this means, a disease that was once common across the world and caused millions of deaths and disfigured the faces of even more simply does not exist anymore. For more detailed information on the characteristics of smallpox, its global history, and the vaccine that ended the disease, visit our entry on Smallpox that we published simultaneously with this blog post.
Click to open interactive version. Wordpress Edit Page. Our World in Data is free and accessible for everyone. Help us do this work by making a donation. Traces of smallpox pustules found on the head of the year-old mummy of the Pharaoh Ramses V.
Download pdf icon [PDF — 1 page]. Unfortunately, this global eradication campaign suffered from a lack of funds, personnel, and commitment from countries, and a shortage of vaccine donations.
Despite their best efforts, smallpox was still widespread in , causing regular outbreaks across South America, Africa, and Asia. The Intensified Eradication Program began in with a promise of renewed efforts.
Laboratories in many countries where smallpox occurred regularly were able to produce more, higher-quality freeze-dried vaccine. Other factors that played an important role in the success of the intensified efforts included the development of the bifurcated needle, the establishment of a case surveillance system, and mass vaccination campaigns. By the time the Intensified Eradication Program began in , smallpox was already eliminated in North America and Europe Cases were still occurring in South America, Asia, and Africa smallpox was never widespread in Australia.
The Program made steady progress toward ridding the world of this disease, and by smallpox was eradicated from South America, followed by Asia , and finally Africa In late , three-year-old Rahima Banu from Bangladesh was the last person in the world to have naturally acquired variola major. She was also the last person in Asia to have active smallpox. She was isolated at home with house guards posted 24 hours a day until she was no longer infectious. A house-to-house vaccination campaign within a 1.
A member of the Smallpox Eradication Program team visited every house, public meeting area, school, and healer within 5 miles to ensure the illness did not spread.
They also offered a reward to anyone who reported a smallpox case. Ali Maow Maalin was the last person to have naturally acquired smallpox caused by variola minor. Maalin was a hospital cook in Merca, Somalia. On October 12, , he rode with two smallpox patients in a vehicle from the hospital to the local smallpox office.
In Edward Jenner , the pioneer of the smallpox vaccine, carried out his famous experiment. Folklore claimed that milkmaids were immune to smallpox. Jenner tested this lore by exposing an eight year old boy to cowpox. Sure enough, further tests showed the boy to be immune to smallpox. Unlike malaria, once a person has been infected with smallpox and survived, he or she is immune to all further infections. Six other diseases have been identified as possible candidates for eradication by the Carter Center International Task Force for Disease Eradication : Guinea worm dracunculiasis , poliomyelitis, mumps, rubella, lymphatic filariasis, cysticercosis, and measles.
Scientists and international organizations are working with the Task Force to try and eliminate these diseases. Even though smallpox was officially eradicated, two stockpiles of the variola virus remain in the world. Both the CDC, located in the state of Georgia, and a state laboratory in Russia have supplies of the virus. In , a World Health Organization advisory committee "recommended destroying" the remaining viruses.
However since then, the US and Russia have been able to push back deadlines requiring smallpox's destruction. In a few weeks, though, the World Health Assembly will meet in Geneva to discuss smallpox eradication. Check out my friend Kriti's blog for more about the elimination of remaining smallpox samples. Frequently asked questions and answers on smallpox. WHO For this reason, contact tracing and selective vaccination have been key in the eradication of smallpox.
In the US, routine strategies for the event someone is diagnosed with smallpox centre around isolating the infected person and tracking their movements over the previous three weeks. All affected people will be monitored for at least 14 days for signs of the disease. By tracking down common points of contact, it is possible to isolate pockets of infection and eradicate them without the need to roll out generalized vaccination programmes to the entire population.
The last known natural case of smallpox was in Somalia in The following year, an accident in a research laboratory led to the death of one person from the disease, and in smallpox was officially declared eradicated. The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum. The pandemic both exacerbated harmful drinking habits for many people and made treatment more difficult to access — a wake-up call for the need to address this global issue.
A tweetstorm about congestion at LA ports highlighted the supply chain crisis. Governments are now stepping up efforts to remove the bottlenecks. I accept. Widespread vaccinations has lead to the successful eradication of smallpox. Take action on UpLink. Forum in focus. New statement champions the role the private sector can play in achieving universal health coverage.
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