An International Commission Certifies Smallpox Eradication
An international commission concluded on December 9, 1979, that smallpox had been eradicated worldwide.
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The Event
An international commission concluded on December 9, 1979, that smallpox had been eradicated worldwide. The achievement followed extensive vaccination and surveillance campaigns.
The Wider Story
Health workers investigated suspected cases and traced transmission across many settings. Eradication depended on international cooperation rather than one laboratory discovery.
Putting the Event in Perspective
The World Health Assembly formally endorsed the result in May 1980.
Reading the Historical Record
This anniversary marks the commission's conclusion, not that later resolution or the disappearance of every other infectious disease.
About the Historical Recreation
The accompanying visual is an illustrative reconstruction: late-1970s public-health workers reviewing maps and vaccination records, no medical procedure close-up. It is not authentic archival footage, an eyewitness record or additional evidence for the event.
Sources
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