Smallpox: Death of a Disease: - A Premature Announcement?

The speaker, Dr. Donald A. Henderson, is the main architect of the successful World Health Organization smallpox eradication program. He will also be giving a "Chalk Talk" presentation, titled Anthrax: Ominous, Threatening, with More Uncertainties Than Answers in Room 22 of the Gates Building from 11:00 a.m. until noon.

Smallpox is remembered as the most devastating human diseases ever known to man. During the 20th century alone, smallpox was responsible for 300-500 million deaths world-wide – more deaths than occurred from all 20th century wars, combined. During the 18th century, the disease killed an estimated 400,000 Europeans each year and was responsible for a third of all blindness.

Dr. Henderson is credited with heading the successful vaccination and eradication programs which led to smallpox being declared eradicated by he World Health Organization (WHO) in December, 1979. Though many were involved, Dr. Henderson was the epicenter of the WHO program. Throughout human history, few have contributed more to the elimination of disease and human suffering than Dr. Henderson.

Though smallpox was eradicated from all human populations, stocks of smallpox virus have been maintained by the U.S. and Russian governments for "research purposes." Thus, though smallpox was eliminated from human populations, it has not been "wiped off the face of the earth." With the fall of the Soviet Union, it was discoved that the U.S.S.R. used their stock of smallpox to develop biological weapons.

Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC, anthrax was successfully used in biological attacks in the United States. With a heightened sense of our vulnerability to future biological weapons attacks, the U.S. government established high profile programs to prepared for potential natural (pandemic influenza) and deliberate (anthrax, smallpox, plague, etc) disease outbreaks.

Since his time with the World Health Organization's smallpox eradication program, Dr. Henderson has been at the forefront of biodefense issues. Dr. Henderson is currently senior advisor to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and a Professor and Resident Scholar at the Center for Biosecurity of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. From 1977-1990, Dr. Henderson was dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. He has received numerous awards (The National Medal of Science, The Japan Prize, etc.), is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Science, Institute of Medicine and the Royal Society of Medicine, Britain, and has been awarded more than 15 honorary degrees.