We're fortunate to live in a world free from smallpox. But how was the disease eradicated? A look at the remarkable story
May 8, 1980, marked the day of one of science's greatest achievements: The eradication of the smallpox virus. Before that date, smallpox shaped the course of human history, killing untold millions around the world. In the 20th century alone, the virus claimed some 300 million lives.
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After hundreds of years of intensive scientific and public health efforts, worldwide vaccination programs introduced in the 1970s put an end to the scourge of smallpox. But how was the world's first vaccine developed, and why is it important that the vaccine is still stockpiled and utilized in cases of monkeypox?
Cowpox – learning from folk stories
The scientific origins of vaccines actually come from folklore. In the 18th century, it was rumored that milkmaids in England often caught mild cases of cowpox but rarely contracted smallpox.