Westfield Health Bulletin: Understanding history of smallpox helps us appreciate need for vaccines

Westfield Health Bulletin: Understanding history of smallpox helps us appreciate need for vaccines

Smallpox was eradicated in 1977. This amazing, global public health achievement isn’t just a page in a history book or an entry in Wikipedia, it is highly relevant today. Understanding the significance of this piece of history highlights the importance of vaccines in present day. Smallpox has been around for 3,000 years. It is a highly contagious disease, affecting only humans, killing 30% of those infected. It did not discriminate by age, wealt…

A world without vaccines: What history teaches us about public health

What would a world without vaccines even look like? Well, it turns out that we don’t have to wonder since accurate historical records allow us to distinctly see and learn for ourselves. This is in keeping with our Secretary of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) recent guidance to Do Your Own Research. What we actually Read more… A world without vaccines: What history teaches us about public health originally appeared in KevinMD.com.