Smallpox Vaccine Pioneer William Foege Dies Aged 89

Smallpox vaccine pioneer William Foege dies aged 89

William Foege, the mastermind behind the world’s eradication of smallpox, died aged 89. The disease was among the world’s deadliest: It killed around a third of those infected, and as recently as 1967, there were an estimated 15 million cases worldwide. But Foege’s strategy of “ring vaccination” — inoculating close contacts of a case — helped control outbreaks efficiently. The last recorded case was in 1977. Foege also led efforts to end polio, …

RIP To Dr. William Foege, The Man Whose Math Eliminated Smallpox

In the modern world, it is easy to be newly concerned about the World Health Organisation. They were the last to declare COVID-19 a pandemic, they said not to blame China, and stood by while China bullied them into staying silence while the communist dictatorship tried to blame COVID-19 on American frozen food, and not their sloppy coronavirus lab next to the Wuhan wet market, where employees from the lab had already been caught selling experime…

Dr. William Foege, leader in smallpox eradication, dies

ATLANTA — Dr. William Foege, a leader of one of humanity’s greatest public health victories — the global eradication of smallpox — has died. Foege died Saturday in Atlanta at the age of 89, according to the Task Force for Global Health, which he co-founded. The 6-foot-7 inch Foege literally stood out in the field of public health. A whip-smart medical doctor with a calm demeanor, he had a canny knack for beating back infectious diseases. He was …

Dr William Foege (1936-2026) - Find a Grave...

Physician, Government Official. An epidemiologist, he served as the 10th Director of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) from 1977 until 1983. In addition, he was known for his efforts in establishing The Task Force for Global Health, and his plan of acting in eradicating smallpox. His father was a Lutheran minister, William studied at Pacific Lutheran University, prior to earning his medical degree from the University of Washington. He went on…

Dr. Bill Foege: A Life That Changed the World

AZPHA mourns the passing of Dr. Bill Foege and gives thanks for a life of extraordinary service to public health. Very few people have made the world healthier and safer at global scale. Bill Foege did. Dr. Foege’s career spanned decades of modern public health. Beginning as an officer in the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service, he played a central leadership role in the global campaign in India that eradicated smallpox in the 1970s… one of the …