Smallpox After Eradication: Black Pox, Ring Vaccination and Lab Freezers

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Smallpox killed an estimated 300 to 500 million people in the 20th century alone, and it remains the only human disease ever eradicated. This episode explains how the variola virus worked: a large, brick shaped DNA virus that copied itself in the cell's cytoplasm, followed by fever, mouth lesions, and pustules buried deep in the skin. Variola major killed about 30 percent of patients, the confluent form more than 60 percent, and hemorrhagic black pox nearly everyone. The disease left its mark on the mummy of Ramses V, devastated Indigenous populations in the Americas, and killed five reigning European monarchs in a single century.

Because it spread only between people and had no animal reservoir, it could be beaten. The story runs from powdered scabs blown into the nose in 1500s China to Edward Jenner's cowpox vaccine of 1796 and the World Health Organization campaign that ended with certification of eradication in May 1980. The episode then turns to why live samples remain in Atlanta and Koltsovo, Russia, the 2004 proposal to insert a glowing GFP gene into the virus, and the 2016 synthesis of horsepox from mail order DNA for about $100,000.

Why smallpox caused an estimated one third of blindness in 18th century Europe
How freeze dried vaccine and the two pronged bifurcated needle helped the campaign reach remote regions
Ring vaccination: isolating each case and vaccinating every contact, like a firebreak
The last naturally occurring case in October 1977
Why the FDA approved new smallpox drugs in 2018 and 2021 for a disease no longer found in nature

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(16184)

The Art of Adult Friendship: Why Quality Matters More Than Quantity

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore how our understanding of friendship changes as we grow old...

9 Nov 18min

Summer Explained: The Science, History, and Traditions of the Warmest Season

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore summer, the season most closely associated with sunshine, ...

7 Nov 18min

Sir Patrick Stewart: From Shakespeare to Star Trek, the Life and Legacy of a Legend

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the extraordinary life of Sir Patrick Stewart, the acclaim...

7 Nov 49min

Larry David: The Genius of Social Awkwardness, Seinfeld, and Curb Your Enthusiasm

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life and career of Larry David, the comedian, writer, ...

6 Nov 38min

Why Australian Shepherds Aren't From Australia

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the history of the Australian Shepherd, an intelligent, en...

5 Nov 45min

Labrador Retriever: From Newfoundland Fishing Dogs to Modern-Day Heroes

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the remarkable history of the Labrador Retriever, one of t...

4 Nov 53min

Discovering Ireland: A Journey Through History, Culture, and the Wild Atlantic Way

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore Ireland through the philosophy of slow travel: go slower, ...

3 Nov 48min

Willie Hutch: An Overnight I'll Be There Lyric and The Mack's Soundtrack

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!William McKinley Hutchins was born in Los Angeles in December 1944 and raised in Dallas, where h...

2 Nov 21min