Complacency and Ignorance are humanities biggest enemies. We cannot sit on our laurels and expect the future to be the same as the past. We owe renewed vigilance to the next generation. Or we will disappear like all life forms.
Please read this history lesson provided by Peter H. Diamandis, MD:
The Eradication of Smallpox: Problem Solved
Smallpox, the dreadful “spotted death,” had been humanity’s persistent nemesis for thousands of years, tracing its lineage back to its zoonotic roots some 3,000 years ago.
From Egyptian pharaohs to Chinese peasants, no one was immune. Its insidious power lay in its high contagion and mortality rates, killing 30% of those it infected. By the 20th century, it claimed between 300 and 500 million lives globally.
The tiny virus caused havoc on an enormous scale. Its symptoms ranged from fever and tremors in infants, to the disfiguring rash that left survivors marked for life. From the time Europeans introduced it to the New World in the 16th century, it decimated up to 90% of some Indigenous populations.
Then entered a transformative scientific innovation—the vaccine, thanks to Edward Jenner. His monumental work in 1796, grounded in the age-old method of inoculation, was to prevent smallpox infections, utilizing the immunizing effects of a milder cowpox infection. This breakthrough catalyzed a global movement towards eradication, with the US Congress passing legislation for smallpox vaccination in 1813.
The 20th century, however, saw a resurgence of outbreaks with the advent of international travel. While richer countries managed to contain the disease through regular vaccination, the less fortunate ones still fell prey to its devastating effects.
In the face of this, the newly formed World Health Organization (WHO) took the helm, launching an intensified plan in 1967 for smallpox eradication through widespread immunization, surveillance, and an innovative “ring vaccination” strategy. Despite initial skepticism, their efforts bore fruit—by December 9, 1979, smallpox was confirmed to have been eradicated, officially declared by the World Health Assembly five months later.
Now, over 40 years later, smallpox remains the only infectious disease we’ve managed to erase from our midst, a triumph we often take for granted.
According to the WHO, “This remains among the most notable and profound public health successes in history.”
The Eradication of Polio in the US: Problem Solved
In the early 20th century, the specter of polio cast a long shadow across the United States.
An enigmatic, brutal, and relentless adversary, the polio virus first gripped the nation in a major epidemic in 1894. However, the fear hit fever pitch in the 1950s, turning summertime, a season of joy and freedom, into a period of dread known as “polio season.”
The fear wasn’t baseless. In 1952, almost 60,000 children were infected, thousands were left paralyzed, and over 3,000 lost their lives. The virus played no favorites—it brought both rich and poor to their knees. Even Franklin D. Roosevelt, a future president, was not immune. His battle with polio, although kept under wraps, brought this silent enemy into the limelight.
President Harry Truman, recognizing the existential threat posed by polio, rallied the nation with these words: “The fight against infantile paralysis cannot be a local war. It must be nationwide. It must be total war in every city, town, and village throughout the land. For only with a united front can we ever hope to win any war.”
And win we did. The arrival of the polio vaccine, developed by Jonas Salk, in 1955 was greeted with nationwide relief and jubilation. No longer would summer bring dread. The iron lungs that kept victims alive were relegated to the pages of history. By 1979, the US had turned the tide, recording its last case of polio.
The extraordinary victory over polio did not stop at US borders. The war shifted globally with the establishment of the “Global Polio Eradication Initiative” in 1988. The figures speak for themselves: by 2016, paralytic cases had been reduced by 99.99%. In 2022, only 30 cases were reported in regions still fighting the virus.
The polio story is a stark reminder of the power of human resolve, the strength of unified action, and the miracles of science.
Today, polio, once a dreaded monster, is but a distant memory in the US. Yet, it also serves as a call to arms, reminding us that the fight isn’t over until polio is but a footnote in the annals of global history.
