Today In History

May 8 in History

1980 – The World Health Organization confirms the eradication of smallpox

By Editor_1

Following a global vaccination program, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared that smallpox, one of the world’s most-dreaded plagues for centuries, was eradicated on this day in 1980, making it the only human disease to be eradicated.

Caused by the variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus, the last naturally occurring case of the infectious disease was diagnosed in October 1977.

The initial symptoms of the disease included fever and vomiting, followed by formation of ulcers in the mouth and a skin rash. Over a number of days, the skin rash turned into the characteristic fluid-filled blisters with a dent in the centre. The bumps then scabbed over and fell off, leaving scars. The disease was spread between people or via contaminated objects. Prevention was achieved mainly through the smallpox vaccine. Once the disease had developed, certain antiviral medications could potentially have helped, but such medications did not become available until after the disease was eradicated. The risk of death was about 30%, with higher rates among babies.  Often, those who survived had extensive scarring of their skin, and some were left blind.

The earliest evidence of the disease dates to around 1500 BC in Egyptian mummies. The disease historically occurred in outbreaks. In 18th-century Europe, it is estimated that 400,000 people died from the disease per year, and that one-third of all cases of blindness were due to smallpox.

The virus is estimated to have killed up to 300 million people in the 20th century and around 500 million people in the last 100 years of its existence. Earlier deaths included six European monarchs. As recently as 1967, 15 million cases occurred a year.

Inoculation for smallpox appears to have started in China around the 1500s. Europe adopted this practice from Asia in the first half of the 18th century.] In 1796, Edward Jenner introduced the modern smallpox vaccine. In 1967, the WHO intensified efforts to eliminate the disease. Smallpox is one of two infectious diseases to have been eradicated, the other being rinderpest in 2011.

-Wikipedia

Photo Caption – Three-year-old Rahima Banu of Bangladesh was the last person infected with naturally occurring variola major, in 1975 – CDC/WHO

 

 

Editor_1
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