CDC and Emory launch smallpox eradication history website

The seemingly wall-to-wall coverage of the H1N1 vaccination program has included frequent comparisons to the 1976 swine flu outbreak and the much-maligned national vaccination effort that followed. During that same period, another massive vaccination program was underway, as the worldwide effort to eradicate smallpox through vaccination was nearing completion. By 1977, the last known case of naturally-occurring smallpox was identified, marking the conclusion of what is widely regarded as one of the most significant achievements in the history of public health.

To document this history, CDC and Emory University recently launched a website, The Global Health Chronicles, that begins with a section on the smallpox eradication campaign. The site includes dozens of oral histories from individuals involved in the vaccination effort, photographs, videos, government documents, and much more. It's a remarkable repository of materials documenting the contributions of CDC staff in this global effort to eliminate smallpox.

Future installments of "The Global Health Chronicles" will examine the history of guinea worm and malaria prevention and control activities.