Smallpox: the first eradicated infectious disease "Big Devil"

  Revelation of the Great Plague

  In 1157 BC, Pharaoh Ramses V of ancient Egypt died. He was honorably born, died suddenly, and probably only lived 40 years old.

  By convention, the pharaoh's body was made into a mummy and buried in a tomb. Since then, humans have continued to multiply, and countless dynasties have changed. The pharaoh's body was safely lying in the mummy for over 3000 years.

  In 1898, this mummy was unearthed by archaeology and was seen in the sky. The moment it opened, people shuddered their jaws:

  The surface of the shrivelled body was covered with pustule scars. The lower half of the face, neck, shoulders are densely packed, and there are also on the arms. Each is a few millimeters in diameter, protruding upward, yellow in color ...

  Did this pharaoh die of smallpox? !

  Big Devil is born

  Ramses V may be the earliest known victim of smallpox.

  However, he may not be "patient zero". It is still difficult to determine where the smallpox originated from and when. In times of rare written records, clues are hard to find.

  Regarding the origin of smallpox, archaeologists can only guess based on historical fragments. It may have appeared more than 3,000 years ago, and it is not impossible for more than 6,000 years ago.

  One hypothesis is that smallpox was initially popular in the Nile Basin in Egypt or the Ganges Basin in India. The densely populated area is suitable for smallpox to gain a foothold. Since then, Chen Cang secretly entered the Asia and Europe.

  Compared to vague backgrounds, the end of smallpox is clear: on May 8, 1980, the World Health Assembly decided that smallpox was eliminated globally. This is the only human infectious disease that has been eliminated so far.

  No matter how it is counted, smallpox has tortured and ravaged humans for at least 3,000 years. Among human infectious diseases, it is a well-deserved veteran devil.

  To meet it means to move with death.

  The infected person had a fever and pain all over. Once a pustule appears in the mouth and tongue, it indicates that the smallpox began to camp blatantly. With a fever, pustules will run around on the face, arms, and legs. It won't take long for the pustules to be densely spread all over the body.

  Drops from coughing and sneezing, juice from the pus rupture, mattresses used by infected persons, and contact items can all be ways to find new hosts.

  Smallpox smallpox, day drop evil flower. Unfortunately, it turned over the brand, ten out of three lives. Even after surviving, they are often disfigured due to permanent scars, even unable to have children and blindness.

  For thousands of years, how many people died of smallpox? No one can tell. What is certain is that in the 20th century alone, smallpox robbed 300 million people worldwide.

  Who is helping the abuse?

  Trade exchanges, war turmoil, population migration, and inextricably linked and entangled civilizations are all excellent times for smallpox to expand its territory. It is well versed in this way, step by step.

  However, until the 15th century, the smallpox base was still confined to Eurasia, West Africa, and North Africa.

  From the 15th to the 18th century, the greedy colonial expansion of Europeans made a huge "contribution" to the spread of smallpox to the New World. They are intruders with them, helping each other to abuse.

  In 1507, with the arrival of Spanish colonists, smallpox appeared on Haiti for the first time. The evolved smallpox plague ruthlessly killed some non-immune indigenous tribes. Followed by Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico ... smallpox is like an endless evil wave, one wave higher than the other, killing people like hemp.

  After a century, doom repeats itself among North American Indians.

  Since the 17th century, smallpox followed British, French and Dutch colonists and landed in North America, harassing unresisting indigenous people. In 1738, smallpox claimed half of the lives of the Cherokee; in 1759, almost half of the Catawba died from smallpox; in 1837, smallpox swept through the Columbia River Basin and half of the indigenous people died.

  In the face of smallpox, the non-immune Indian souls are charcoaled. Have they ever been "compensated" by European colonists? Thinking too much, I am afraid there will only be endless expulsion, slavery and looting. What is even more appalling is that some Europeans have been immunized, and they actually helped behind the scenes and actively spread smallpox to the Indians.

  In 1763, an infamous conversation took place between Jeffrey Amherst, the commander of the North American British Army, and Colonel Henry Banquette.

  "Can we give smallpox to the dissatisfied Indian tribe without showing traces? Now we must use all available strategies to reduce them." Amherst asked.

  Banquet replied: "I will try to vaccinate (them) with a blanket that may fall into their hands, taking care not to infect myself."

  In this way, by the end of the 18th century, except for some small islands, smallpox successfully punched the globe.

  Thousand Years' Grinding a Sword-Vaccine Vaccine or Vaccine

  I don't know when the ancients were aware of the temper of smallpox: after having smallpox, they will not suffer from smallpox for life. In this case, why not use smallpox to fight against smallpox? The weapon is hidden in the pustules of smallpox.

  Around 1000 AD, a simple method of smallpox vaccination may have quietly emerged in Chinese folks: smashing smallpox scabs and blowing them into the nostrils of healthy people. In ancient India, smallpox was inoculated through the skin, with similar results.

  It has been found that compared with natural infections, active vaccination of smallpox usually reduces the symptoms significantly and the deaths are also greatly reduced.

  Smallpox is spreading, and the experience of fighting smallpox is also transferred and accumulated between civilizations. Historians believe that ancient vaccination methods in China and India were introduced to Egypt in the 13th century, and were introduced to Europe in the early 18th century and gradually spread.

  At the end of the 18th century, smallpox ravaged the world. In the deepest darkness, important weapons against smallpox are brewing.

  In 1796, a British doctor named Edward Jenner discovered that a milkmaid infected with cowpox had no symptoms of smallpox after being vaccinated against smallpox.

  So Jenner carried out a bold experiment: he took something from the cowpox sore on the hand of the milkmaid and inoculated it on the arm of 9-year-old boy Phipps. Since then, Jenner repeatedly exposed Phipps to the smallpox virus, but the little boy had never contracted smallpox.

  The first vaccine in the world was born in the exploration against smallpox. In 1801, Jenner published "The Origin of Vaccination", and he predicted: The elimination of smallpox, the most terrible disaster for mankind, will surely be the final result of vaccination.

  At dawn, how can exploration stop?

  When the smallpox vaccine was found, new problems followed. How to provide smallpox vaccine in large quantities? Attempts to breed vaccine viruses in cattle have solved this problem. In the 1950s, scientists found a way to produce freeze-dried vaccines. This vaccine does not require a complicated cold chain. Doctors put it in a medical bag for a month and it is still effective. The promotion of smallpox vaccine pushed another block stone.

  At this point, after going forward for thousands of years, the "Cut Flower Sword" was finally quenched.

  Global teamwork can be successful

  The sword is in hand, just waiting for the sheath. The process is full of twists and turns.

  In 1959, the World Health Assembly decided to officially launch the plan, hoping that at least 80% of the population will be vaccinated against smallpox, so that the world can get rid of smallpox.

  In the early 1950s, North America and Europe had taken the lead in eradicating smallpox. However, the imported epidemic situation continues, and they are unable to protect themselves. Regrettably, WHO has constantly called on member countries to donate smallpox vaccine, and few responders.

  The countries where smallpox is raging are also not very active. By the fourth year of the project, smallpox was popular in 44 countries, only 14 countries were taking action, the implementation plans of 22 countries remained on paper, and the remaining 8 countries were indifferent.

  If humans are not active, viruses can be active. In 1967, there were more than 10 million smallpox cases and more than 2 million deaths in more than 40 countries around the world.

  Not once, so I had to do it again. That year, the World Health Assembly launched the "enhanced version" of the plan to eliminate smallpox. This time, the goal remains the same, but the difference is that all countries are involved.

  It is gratifying that at this stage, smallpox vaccine donations have greatly increased. From 1967 to 1979, 27 countries voluntarily donated more than 400 million doses of vaccine. At that time, many smallpox-endemic countries have also achieved smallpox vaccine self-sufficiency. The vaccine has been promoted, and people who have lived in smallpox nightmares for generations finally have invisible and powerful shelter.

  While vaccinating, the monitoring and prevention of smallpox was strengthened. Around the world, countless medical workers took to the streets, went door-to-door to investigate, and isolated cases in villages and yards in time.

  The plan advances day by day, and smallpox is miraculously expelled from human territory. Ten years later, in October 1977, the world ’s last natural case of smallpox occurred in Somalia. Since then, a global search for smallpox has continued for two years to confirm that this ancient and powerful infectious disease has really been eradicated.

  Use the vaccine as a weapon to join forces in a counterattack. Jenner's prediction finally came true. It was only in May 1980 that the historic declaration of the resolutions of the World Health Assembly-that was a declaration of victory for humanity against smallpox.

  After thousands of years of life and death, smallpox has gone from everywhere to the end of Haoyu, and the end of its sadistic history has revealed to humanity the wisest path and the most successful experience in the face of major infectious diseases Relive constantly:

  On the one hand, the virus is the common enemy of mankind. To defeat it, global cooperation and unified action are necessary. On the other hand, as the historical prediction has proved, the vaccine is the right choice to fight the plague.

  Smallpox is the first human infectious disease to be eliminated. Next one?