“The little folks are very sick then and puke every morning, but after
that they are comfortable.” - Abigail Adams
Viruses, Plagues and History By Michael Oldstone (2011), Oxford University Press.
"Smallpox was eventually conquered by “disease control” measures. There is still
no effective antimicrobial agent. As the incidence declined with mass vaccinations,
public health officials adopted a policy of identifying and then controlling (isolating)
infected individuals, continuing this practice over and over in developing countries
until October 26, 1977. On that day, a 23-year-old cook, Ali Maow Malin, in
the town of Marka, in Somalia, was designated by the World Health Organization
(WHO) as having the world’s last naturally occurring case of smallpox.
Sadly, I must qualify the previous sentence with the phrase “naturally occurring”
because, in our infinite wisdom, we have maintained laboratory samples of the
smallpox virus, causing the legitimate concern today that these virus samples might
be acquired and used by terrorists"
Taylor R.B. (2008)
Diseases That Changed History. Springer, New York, NY, Ch2, P 49
Notes:
- The last known case of smallpox virus was from a lab accident with a lab strain that most people wanted destroyed.
- Four countries kept stockpiles: UK, South Africa, USA and Russia. UK and SA and since destroyed theirs.
- "virus samples might be acquired and used by terrorists" - some argue they already have.
"October 26, 1977. On that day, a 23-year-old cook, Ali Maow Malin, in
the town of Marka, in Somalia, was designated by the World Health Organization
(WHO) as having the world’s last naturally occurring case of smallpox"
