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Anti-Virus
Forty-five years ago today, smallpox was officially declared eradicated by the World Health Organization, which had started a global program to wipe out the virus some 10 years before. The program’s success was another milestone in the ongoing story of virus eradication, a history that began with the smallpox virus.
In 1796 English surgeon Edward Jenner discovered a vaccination against smallpox, marking the world’s first successful vaccine. Jenner used doses of cowpox to inoculate people against smallpox, giving rise to the term vaccine, rooted in vacca, the Latin word for cow. The death rate from smallpox plummeted, and Jenner received worldwide recognition and many honors. But he made no attempt to enrich himself through the discovery and in fact devoted so much time to the cause of vaccination that his personal finances suffered severely.
InfluenzaThe influenza pandemic of 1918–19 was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history. Outbreaks occurred in every inhabited part of the world, and about half of all deaths were among 20- to 40-year-olds, an unusual mortality age pattern for influenza. An accurate worldwide death toll is difficult to arrive at, with estimates ranging from 25 million to as many as 50 million deaths. It would take decades until an influenza vaccine was discovered, thanks to research led by Jonas Salk and Thomas Francis. Jr., both of whom would soon tackle another major health crisis.
PolioIn the mid-20th century, polio—an acute viral infectious disease of the nervous system that could cause paralysis—struck hundreds of thousands of children every year. In 1947 Jonas Salk began working on a polio vaccine and by 1952 he was conducting field tests of an early version. In 1954 Thomas Francis, Jr., conducted a mass field trial, which proved the vaccine’s efficacy. On April 12, 1955, the vaccine was released for use in the U.S., and in the following years the incidence of polio fell from 18 cases per 100,000 people to less than 2 per 100,000.
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These firearms are assembled by the owner, either from separately bought pieces or as part of a kit, and can also be made using 3D printers.
Numerous writers have recounted or drawn from their war experiences to produce great modern works.
The world’s largest frog species can grow as long as 12.6 inches (32 cm) and weigh as much as 6.6 pounds (3 kg) or more.
These are urban areas where numerous people perform sex acts for money or participate in sexually evocative performances.