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Eradicating Smallpox

Eradicating Smallpox

In 1980, humanity officially eradicated the dreaded smallpox virus. Dr. Larry Brilliant tells the long history of this unique accomplishment and what it means for the future.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.

Key Ideas

Think about the following questions as you watch the video


  1. 03:21 According to Dr. Larry Brilliant, what made smallpox the worst disease in history?
  2. 04:26 What is variolation?
  3. 06:20 Who created the first smallpox vaccine? According to Dr. Larry, how did that person discover and test vaccines?
  4. 09:30 What was ring vaccination?
  5. 11:00 According to Dr. Larry, what was the most important factor in eradicating smallpox?