Publication Date:June 23, 2009 Availability:Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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ISBN13: 9781591027225
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Product Description For more than 3000 years, hundreds of millions of people have died or been left permanently scarred or blind by the relentless, incurable disease called smallpox. In 1967, Dr. D.A. Henderson became director of a worldwide campaign to eliminate this disease from the face of the earth.
This spellbinding book is Dr. Henderson's personal story of how he led the World Health Organization's campaign to eradicate smallpox the only disease in history to have been deliberately eliminated. Some have called this feat the greatest scientific and humanitarian achievement of the past century.
In a lively, engrossing narrative, Dr. Henderson makes it clear that the gargantuan international effort involved more than straightforward mass vaccination. He and his staff had to cope with civil wars, floods, impassable roads, and refugees as well as formidable bureaucratic and cultural obstacles, shortages of local health personnel and meager budgets. Countries across the world joined in the effort; the United States and the Soviet Union worked together through the darkest cold war days; and professionals from more than 70 nations served as WHO field staff. On October 26, 1976, the last case of smallpox occurred. The disease that annually had killed two million people or more had been vanquished and in just over ten years.
The story did not end there. Dr. Henderson recounts in vivid detail the continuing struggle over whether to destroy the remaining virus in the two laboratories still that held it. Then came the startling discovery that the Soviet Union had been experimenting with smallpox virus as a biological weapon and producing it in large quantities. The threat of its possible use by a rogue nation or a terrorist has had to be taken seriously and Dr. Henderson has been a central figure in plans for coping with it.
New methods for mass smallpox vaccination were so successful that he sought to expand the program of smallpox immunization to include polio, measles, whooping cough, diphtheria, and tetanus vaccines. That program now reaches more than four out of five children in the world and is eradicating poliomyelitis.
This unique book is to be treasured a personal and true story that proves that through cooperation and perseverance the most daunting of obstacles can be overcome.
jahJuly 21, 2010 Jacquelyn Handley One of the most interesting books I have read about infectious diseases. What a loyal and committed group accomplished this incredible disease.
An extinction to celebrateDecember 27, 2009 wiredweird(Earth, or somewhere nearby) 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Smallpox reigned through history as one of the most destructive diseases the human species ever suffered. Hundreds of millions of people are estimated to have died from it in the twentieth century alone. Its eradication, twenty years ago this year, remains unique: no other disease has been eliminated, once and and for all.
To some extent, smallpox almost aided in its own demise. Unlike life-long HIV infections, smallpox runs its course, to survival or death, within a few weeks. Unlike bubonic plague, there is no animal reservoir for the pathogen - when no more people have the disease, it can't come back. Unlike influenza, for which new vaccines are needed every year, only one vaccine was needed during the decades of intensive eradication effort. The disease's deadliness was only one reason it was such an attractive target for elimination.
This book tells the story of that elimination effort, written by the man who led that effort. Not just a medical miracle, it required cooperation from every nation on earth plus the warring factions that controlled areas where smallpox was endemic. That feat of cooperation very nearly counts as a miracle in itself and represents, to my mind, Dr. Henderson's most stunning achievement.
That cooperation faced continuous threats through the decades of the eradication program. As in any field, funding was always uncertain - especially when so many 'experts' said the goal was impossible, and that the funds should be directed to other diseases. The funding agencies quarreled amongst themselves, too. In one case Henderson describes, a funding group refused to pay for fuel for the team's trucks, on the grounds that a different agency had provided the trucks. Then, the team faced challenges from the terrain they had to cover, often in remote and nearly inaccessible areas - or in areas of active war, where the medical team needed permission from both sides to vaccinate and monitor the population. Not just doctors, educators, and negotiators, Henderson's team had to be mechanics as well, to deal with the inevitable breakdowns days away from the nearest repair shop. Then, they had to change their way of working to accommodate the unique political environment of every country in which they worked.
But, in the end, Henderson and his team succeeded, except for samples in two laboratories. Henderson and his team previously documented their approach to the eradication in a World Health Organization document over a thousand pages in length. The story deserves a wider audience, however. This book presents a lively and very readable summary of that massive report. Today we face challenges of our own, from other pathogens. Techniques specific to smallpox eradication might not be appropriate to malaria, HIV, or other diseases. Any eradication effort, however, can learn from the creativity and heroic determination of the team that drove smallpox to extinction.
-- wiredweird
The Personal AccountSeptember 20, 2009 Nina Calantone 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
After reading several other books that explore smallpox eradication, Henderson's account appears more in-depth and personal. It places the reader in the situation, its stresses and successes. The reality of the narrative is supported by both strong personal biases and fast-paced anecdotes. The bias is shown in dark portrayals of bureaucratic figures that were shown to impede progress instead of assisting eradication. Henderson writes with strong, liberal voice that is true to life. He is blunt and decisive, and this is reflected in the text.
The anecdotal clippings that are boxed and scattered in the book depict unique struggles and solutions of the eradication campaign. Cultural and environmental barriers of the campaign are exposed in the brief accounts. "A novel way to detect hidden cases" is one example of an unusual solution; in order to reveal denied cases of smallpox, a vehicle was driven into deep mud to interest infected villagers, bringing them out of their homes.
Henderson also emphasizes the need for rule-breaking. He boldly suggests that certain conditions require radical action. His assertions are projected by scenarios and are proven valid by the ultimate success achieved by Henderson and other members of the campaign to bring the death of a disease.
Engaging from Cover to CoverSeptember 19, 2009 D. Johnson Smallpox: The Death of disease is an intriguing, true story about the smallpox global eradication campaign told by the man who ran it himself, Dr. D.A Henderson. After providing a solid foundation with a summary of smallpox history, he plunges into the course of eradication. Henderson gives a unique anecdotal insight into a few of the intricacies and personalities that shaped the campaign program. The story travels through each country and phase of the eradication where floods, mechanical problems and not to mention cultural resistance were around every corner. Misguided politics had a significant influence as well. Fortunately, Henderson's hands on approach and disregard for inhibitive regulations lead the effort to success.
The reader also gets a glimpse behind the scenes of the eradication certification program as well as the chilling biosecurity issues that have surfaced post-eradication. Henderson has continued to play an important role in advising the government on how to prepare for potential bioterror attacks involving smallpox. However, he concludes with a surprising opinion about future eradication efforts.
Overall, the story is engaging from cover to cover. Henderson's anecdotal account of the campaign provides a unique dimension, which no other smallpox literature can provide. The lessons learned from this achievement should serve as a template for future global effort as well as personal life goals. In addition, smallpox aside, this inspiring account is evidence that no obstacle can inhibit a strong a will.
ecommended for health and general-interest libraries alikeSeptember 16, 2009 Midwest Book Review(Oregon, WI USA) Any interested in a history of disease control - especially any health library - needs Smallpox: The Death of a Disease. It charts 3,000 years of the relentless, incurable disease and the author's own campaign to eliminate this disease from the world. Dr. Henderson's personal story of how he led the World Health Organization's efforts is riveting and provides an insider's account of international health issues. Recommended for health and general-interest libraries alike.
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