Global Eradication of Smallpox Certified

On May 8, 1980, the World Health Assembly declared the world free of smallpox. The announcement marked the end of a disease that had killed and scarred people for centuries. Reaching that point required more than developing a vaccine: health workers had to reach the places where the virus was still passing from person to person.

Vaccination had a long history. Edward Jenner’s work in 1796 helped establish protection against smallpox, but the existence of a vaccine did not automatically eliminate the disease. Access, resources and the ability to identify outbreaks remained obstacles across much of the world.