Smallpox: The Death of a Disease by D A Md Henderson

Smallpox: The Death of a Disease by D A Md Henderson

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.

'[Henderson's] tale of how smallpox was killed is a detailed object lesson in how to do the impossible on a shoestring budget, with a bureaucracy that doesn't want to knowIt would be useful reading for anyone dealing with similar organisations today. As we worry about a possible flu pandemic, it is heartening to read about the one germ we did defeat. There may never be another story like it.' New Scientist, Issue 2710, May 27, 2009 A wealth of photos, informative sidebars and charts help illustrate the people and politics involved without overwhelming readers with technical jargon. Fans of true-life forensic books and anyone interested in how this effort came to be, the challenges faced and eventually surmounted will want to give this a look. -- Monsters and Critics, July 20, 2009 His easy narrative is convincing, in part because of his central role but especially because of his generosity towards the numerous other participants - he portrays the 'front-line troops' in the field as being even more important than those at WHO headquarters. His magnanimity makes his criticisms all the more trenchant and cogent. Like all good stories, Smallpox recounts the deeds of heroes and villains, fools and sages. Henderson ends by declaring his pride in having been at the WHO at this crucial time. A better conclusion would have been the close of the penultimate chapter, in which his delight is tempered with a dash of reality: smallpox continues to hover as a dark and ominous cloud as it has throughout the course of mankind's history. It cannot be forgotten nor ignored.-- Nature, Vol. 460, August 20, 2009

D. A. Henderson, MD was professor of medicine and public health at the University of Pittsburgh and a distinguished scholar at the Center for Biosecurity in Baltimore, as well as former dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. He served as Life Sciences Adviser to President G. H. W. Bush and was the first director of the newly created Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness in the Department of Health and Human Services. He is the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Science plus many other awards. He has received the Japan Prize and has been knighted by the King of Thailand.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781591027225
ISBN 10	1591027225
Title	Smallpox: The Death of a Disease
Author	D A Md Henderson
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Prometheus Books
Year published	2009-06-23
Number of pages	334
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.