Records of the World Health Organization's smallpox eradication program

Records of the Smallpox Eradication Programme of the World Health Organization

At the 19th World Health Assembly in 1966, the WHO Director-General launched an international program to eradicate smallpox, a disease that had plagued humanity for a thousand years. In 1980, the 33rd World Health Assembly confirmed the conclusion of the Global Commission for the Certification of the Eradication of Smallpox, which declared that smallpox had been eradicated worldwide and that there was no risk of a resurgence.

Smallpox was not a regional or localized disease, but a global threat. Even after vaccination became available, many people worldwide remained unable to access it, necessitating a systematic assessment of the areas where smallpox was a critical issue. Accordingly, the Smallpox Eradication Program includes information on these areas from the late 1940s to the late 1970s, along with records of the efforts and achievements made to eradicate smallpox in these areas.

The success of the smallpox eradication program remains one of the greatest global achievements in public health history, and is arguably unique in the eradication of a disease that plagues humanity. The records of the smallpox eradication program provide an exceptionally important document of the decisions and actions taken to eradicate this disease, and they hold both historical and contemporary significance when considered in light of ongoing efforts to eradicate other diseases.

It was registered as a World Documentary Heritage in 2017.