Nature, nurture and my experience with smallpox eradication

• Frank Fenner

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• 1.
• Friedman M, Friedland GW. Edward Jenner and vaccination. In: Medicine's 10 greatest discoveries. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998; 65-93.
• 2.
• Burnet FM, Fenner F. The production of antibodies. 2nd edition. Melbourne: Macmillan, 1949.
• 3.
• MacCallum P, Tolhurst JC, Buckle G, Sissons HA. A new mycobacterial infection in man. J Path Bact 1948; 60: 93-116.
• 4.
• Fenner F, Ratcliffe FN. Myxomatosis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1965.
• 5.
• Burnet FM. Principles of animal virology. New York: Academic Press, 1955.
• 6.
• Fenner F. The biology of animal viruses. New York: Academic Press, 1968.
• 7.
• World Health Organization. The global eradication of smallpox. Final Report of the Global Commission for the Certification of Smallpox Eradication, Geneva, 1979. Geneva: World Health Organization, 1980.
• 8.
• Fenner F, Henderson DA, Arita I, et al. Smallpox and its eradication. Geneva: World Health Organization, 1988.
• 9.
• A severe disease, with high mortality and serious after-effects
• 10.
• No animal reservoir of the virus
• 11.
• Very few subclinical cases
• 12.
• Cases were not infectious before the appearance of rash, which appeared after the onset of illness and fever
• 13.
• An acute, self-limited disease; recurrence of infectivity never occurred
• 14.
• Only one serotype
• 15.
• An effective, heat-stable vaccine was available and inexpensive
• 16.
• Country-wide elimination in Europe and the Americas showed that global eradication was possible
• 17.
• Few social or religious barriers to the recognition of cases
• 18.
• The costs of quarantine and vaccination of travellers provided a strong financial incentive for wealthy countries to contribute
• 19.
• The WHO Smallpox Eradication Unit had inspiring leaders and enlisted many devoted health workers