3 ms·
It was probably easier to get rid the first time than it would be a second time given the increase in air travel and density in population centers that has occu
by state_machine 15y ago
It was probably easier to get rid the first time than it would be a second time given the increase in air travel and density in population centers that has occurred since then.
- araneae 15y agoThe reasons given in the article for smallpox being able to be eradicated the first time was because a) It has no animal reservoirs b) The latent period of infection is very short c) There's an effective vaccine None of those things would be different the second time around, unless the viruses itself was changed.
- bhickey 15y agoSmallpox is "easy" to get rid of because it's visible. The infected present with lesions. It also isn't contagious while it incubates. Contrast this with polio, where there are about a thousand infections per every paralysis. Thanks to a couple of ignorant leaders who claimed that the polio vaccine is a Western conspiracy to sterilize African girls, it's spreading again. Great.