Though smallpox was officially declared to be eradicated in 1980, live samples of the virus live on — stored in carefully guarded freezers in Russia and the US. Now officials will consider eliminating those final samples — and truly wiping small pox off the Earth.Though smallpox was officially declared to be eradicated in 1980, live samples of the virus live on — stored in carefully guarded freezers in Russia and the US. Now officials will consider eliminating those final samples — and truly wiping small pox off the Earth.
In Somalia, Ali Maow Maalin died unexpectedly this week. His passing is a milestone in the history of a viral disease: smallpox. Ali Maow Maalin was the last person in the world to be infected with naturally occurring smallpox.