Whose vaccination campaign helped eliminate smallpox?
Quick Answer
The smallpox eradication campaign is most closely associated with World Health Organization physician Donald Henderson. He led the global effort that culminated in the last natural case in 1977 and eradication certified in 1980.
The Full Story
Donald A. Henderson was the public health official most closely associated with the World Health Organization’s global smallpox eradication programme. Under his leadership, intensified surveillance and ring vaccination helped stop transmission worldwide. The last natural case of smallpox was recorded in Somalia in 1977, and eradication was certified by WHO in 1980. The campaign is one of the greatest achievements in medical history because it eliminated a deadly human disease from nature entirely.
Key Facts
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