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The End of Smallpox

The End of Smallpox

Released Friday, 7th June 2024
Good episode? Give it some love!
The End of Smallpox

The End of Smallpox

The End of Smallpox

The End of Smallpox

Friday, 7th June 2024
Good episode? Give it some love!
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Humanity isn't great at eradicating diseases. But there is one disease that humanity has managed to eradicate: smallpox.

Smallpox was around for more than 3,000 years and killed at least 300 million people in the 20th century. Then, by 1980, it was gone.

Rahima Banu was the last person in the world to have the deadliest form of smallpox. In 1975, Banu was a toddler growing up in a remote village in Bangladesh when she developed the telltale bumpy rash. Soon, public health workers from around the world showed up at her home to try to keep the virus from spreading. This is her story.

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