The Eradication of Smallpox

The Eradication of Smallpox Although it has taken a huge collective effort by many individuals and nations, the eradication of smallpox was mainly brought about by the pioneering efforts of Edward Jenner. Smallpox had been killing humans for over 3000 years and has been referred to as one of the greatest all-time scourges to mankind. One of the first known efforts to fight this horrible disease by immunization was in China where powdered scabs of smallpox …

…then there has only been one other case of smallpox, which was caused by a laboratory mishap in 1978. Victory was declared in the war against smallpox on May 8, 1980 when the WHO declared that smallpox had been completely eradicated (Hopkins 174). Although, throughout history attempts have been made to contain smallpox by variolation and other methods, the definitive solution was not found until Edward Jenner performed an experiment that laid the foundation for the eradication of smallpox.