OCR Text |
Show Smallpox No Longer Routine By HAROLD B. LIGON, MD Smallpox became a fact of routine life until the latter 18th Century uhen, in 17. Edward Ed-ward Jenner developed his vaccine. That discovery keynoted the world's counterattack, counter-attack, and the war to containment contain-ment began continuing in a sustained state of attrition till the mid '60s of the 20th Century. Cen-tury. WHEN THE freeze drying technique of the vaccine was developed, it enabled long life to the vaccine which in turn made it more available to the field. This w as the force of final fin-al victory! Through some arduous and painstaking, dedicated, delicate, deli-cate, brilliant and relentless perseveance on the part of the World Health Organization and the Agency for International Interna-tional Development and the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, there was global era- ; dication of this dread disease. IN 1967 smallpox was present pre-sent in 44 countries; in 1972, 19 countries; in 1975, five countries coun-tries and in 1977, none! Find your old Dec. 1979 National Na-tional Geographic. It's a marvelous mar-velous and exciting story! |