On 8 May 1980 the 33rd World Health Assembly officially declared The world and all its peoples have won freedom from smallpox The declaration marked the end of a disease that had plagued humanity for at least 3 000 years killing 300 million people in the 20th century alone It was ended thanks to a 10 year global effort spearheaded by the World Health Organization that involved thousands of health workers around the world to administer half a billion vaccinations to stamp out smallpox The US 300m price tag to eradicate smallpox saves the world well over US 1 billion every year since 1980 Speaking at a virtual event hosted at WHO HQ involving key players in the eradication effort WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said As the world confronts the COVID 19 pandemic humanity s victory over smallpox is a reminder of what is possible when nations come together to fight a common health threat The world got rid of smallpox thanks to an incredible demonstration of global solidarity and because it had a safe and effective vaccine Solidarity plus science equalled solution Dr Tedros highlighted that smallpox eradication also offers hope for efforts to eliminate other infectious diseases including polio which is now endemic in just two countries To date 187 countries territories and areas have been certified free of Guinea worm disease with seven more to go And the fight against malaria has so far resulted in 38 countries and territories certified as malaria free In the case of Tuberculosis TB 57 countries and territories with low TB incidence are on track to reach TB elimination At the event Dr Tedros unveiled a commemorative postal stamp to recognize the global solidarity that drove the initiative and honour the efforts of health workers who ensured its success The stamp developed by the United Nations Postal Administration UNPA in collaboration with WHO signifies what national unity and global solidary can achieve Numerous countries such as Guinea India Nigeria Philippines Togo and others issued smallpox stamps to show support for and raise awareness about WHO s Intensified Smallpox Eradication Programme launched in 1967 WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr Matshidiso Moeti s earliest memories of smallpox is of her father I was visiting WHO headquarters and I saw a photo of my Dad standing with the other experts on the Global Commission I remember him going out doing follow up visits with patients He often would go with a driver and disappear into the bush for days I felt in awe of his tireless work The strategies used to eradicate smallpox still apply today Lessons learned from smallpox are used today to respond to disease outbreaks For example house to house active case finding underpins the polio eradication programme and ring vaccination of contacts is helping to combat the spread of the Ebola virus disease Similarly surveillance case finding testing contact tracing quarantine and communication campaigns to dispel misinformation are central to controlling COVID 19 explained David Heymann Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at The London School of Hygiene Tropical Medicine LSHTM and Distinguished Fellow Global Health Security at Chatham House London Following smallpox eradication WHO and UNICEF launched the Expanded Programme on Immunization under which 85 of the world s children are vaccinated and protected from debilitating diseases With the potential of a COVID 19 vaccine ahead ensuring sufficient supplies and reaching people in hard to reach places is a high priority Addressing vaccine hesitancy poses a significant challenge to stop the virus Access to accurate public health information and education is critical to ensure that the public has the facts to keep themselves and others safe To permanently commemorate the eradication of smallpox and the lessons learned on a global scale rather than every 10 years WHO is calling museums exhibition companies designers curators and associations to develop an immersive interactive and educational exhibition on smallpox and its relevance for COVID 19 and global health security The exhibition which will be unveiled later this year will promote a better understanding of public health and empower people to keep informed and safe during a pandemic Notes to the media Smallpox stamp The smallpox stamp is in the denomination of CHF 1 70 It was designed by Sergio Baradat United Nations in collaboration with the World Health Organization and is available for purchase at unstamps org The stamp can be used to mail postcards and letters around the world provided that they are sent from the UN headquarters in New York Geneva or Vienna respectively Smallpox Eradication dates On 9 December 1979 a global commission certified that smallpox had been eradicated and this certification was officially accepted by the 33rd World Health Assembly in 1980 Museum Exhibition Exhibition design companies museums curators and other companies organizations in this field are invited to express their interest to develop an immersive educational exhibition on smallpox and its relevance for COVID 19 and global health security by writing to privatesectorpartners who int