Scientist who helped eradicate smallpox dies at age 89
by CrossVR on 1/28/2026, 10:03:11 AM
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/smallpox-eradication-champion-william-foege-dies-at-89/
Comments
by: olivia-banks
Paywall-free link: <a href="https://archive.today/Toq4Y" rel="nofollow">https://archive.today/Toq4Y</a>
2/1/2026, 12:33:42 AM
by: andrewflnr
That's got to be one of the greatest legacies in all human history. No politician or other empire-builder comes close.
2/1/2026, 1:57:23 AM
by: m-hodges
I don’t think many people know about or remember the 2003 smallpox vaccination campaign.¹<p>> The campaign aimed to provide the smallpox vaccine to those who would respond to an attack, establishing Smallpox Response Teams and using DryVax (containing the NYCBOH strain) to mandatorily vaccinate half a million American military personnel, followed by half a million health care worker volunteers by January 2004. The first vaccine was administered to then-President George W. Bush.<p>¹ <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_United_States_smallpox_vaccination_campaign" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_United_States_smallpox_va...</a>
2/1/2026, 1:05:40 AM
by: kwhat4
Just in time to roll over in his grave.
2/1/2026, 12:18:43 AM
by: fuckyah
[dead]
2/1/2026, 3:39:32 AM
by: blell
[flagged]
2/1/2026, 12:25:37 AM
by: treetalker
[flagged]
1/28/2026, 10:14:41 AM
by: fake-name
[flagged]
1/31/2026, 11:54:18 PM
by: CaliforniaKarl
I'm starting to think that we should be calling it "contained", not "eradicated". Eradication invites the question "Well then, why do we still need the vaccine?"
2/1/2026, 1:54:21 AM