How We Deleted a Disease That Killed Millions

Humanity wiped out smallpox, a disease that killed millions across the world. Discover how vaccines, ring vaccination and a global search stopped its chain of infection. This animated explainer follows the history of smallpox from variolation and Edward Jenner’s experiments to the international eradication campaign. Meet the health workers who searched door to door, the tools that made vaccination practical, and Ali Maow Maalin, the last person to catch smallpox naturally. We examine the campaign’s achievements and its coercive practices, distinguish the last natural case in 1977 from the 1978 laboratory tragedy, and explore why eradicating other diseases is harder. Clarification: routine smallpox vaccination ended after eradication; vaccination is still used for certain laboratory and preparedness situations. CHAPTERS 0:00 The last natural case 0:34 Meet the smallpox virus 1:33 The first clue: variolation 2:22 Jenner and the vaccine 3:45 A global eradication campaign 4:41 Two tools that made it possible 5:18 Ring vaccination 6:14 The door-to-door hunt 7:05 The last patient and the final tragedy 8:04 What eradication achieved 8:53 Why other diseases are harder 9:50 What comes next SOURCES AND FURTHER READING CDC: History of Smallpox https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/about/history... WHO: History of smallpox vaccination https://www.who.int/news-room/spotlight/hi... WHO (2024): Fifty years of global immunization https://www.who.int/news/item/24-04-2024-g... CDC: Smallpox vaccination after eradication https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/vaccines/gett... CDC: Smallpox and mpox vaccine information https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/current-v... Subscribe to Claude Explained for animated explanations of the science, engineering and history shaping our world. Production note: Original animated explainer with AI-generated narration and AI-assisted music. The visuals illustrate the science and history; they are not documentary footage. #Smallpox #HistoryOfScience #ScienceExplained