Smallpox Eradication (1967-1980)
The WHO launched an intensified eradication campaign in 1967 when smallpox killed an estimated 2 million people annually and afflicted 10-15 million more. Through mass vaccination and surveillance-containment strategies, the last natural case occurred in Somalia in October 1977.
On May 8, 1980, the World Health Assembly declared smallpox eradicated—the first and still only human disease to achieve this status.
The $300 million campaign saves over $1 billion annually in vaccination and treatment costs. It established the template for disease eradication: sustained international cooperation, robust surveillance, and community-level engagement.
Guinea worm would become only the second human disease eradicated, validating a different model: behavior change and water treatment rather than vaccination. Success would prove that diseases can be eliminated through low-technology community interventions.