Good morning, good afternoon and good evening.Exactly 40 years ago today, on the 8th of May 1980, the World Health Assembly officially declared that “the world and all its peoples have won freedom from smallpox”.
Smallpox is the first and, to date, the only human disease to be eradicated globally. Until it was wiped out, smallpox had plagued humanity for at least 3000 years, killing 300 million people in the 20th century alone.
Its eradication stands as the greatest public health triumph in history. As the world confronts the COVID-19 pandemic, humanity’s victory over smallpox is a reminder of what is possible when nations come together to fight a common health threat.