D.A. Henderson, doctor who eradicated
smallpox, dies
Washington (AFP) - Donald Henderson, an American
doctor and public health official who led the successful global drive to wipe
out smallpox in the 1960s and '70s, credited with saving tens of millions of
lives, has died. He was 87. Known as D.A., Henderson was a "giant" in
public health, said Michael Klag, dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of
Public Health, a position Henderson previously held.
Henderson "led the World Health Organization’s
successful 10-year effort to eradicate smallpox, one of the greatest public
health achievements in history," Klag said in a statement announcing his
death on Friday. "Smallpox is the only human disease ever to have been
eradicated." Henderson died Friday in Baltimore of complications from a broken
hip, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center -- where he was serving as a
scholar -- said in a statement.
An official at the Communicable Disease Center,
which later became the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, he was
selected in 1966 to lead the then seemingly futile effort to eradicate
smallpox. First known as the "pox," the disease was one of the
deadliest in history, killing an estimated 300 million to 500 million people in
the 20th century alone.
Caused by the variola major virus, smallpox
inflicted great pain on victims, beginning with fever, nausea and other
flu-like symptoms before leading to lesions on the face and body. A third of
victims died. Survivors suffered disfigurement and occasionally blindness.
Heading an army of field workers around the world
under an initiative of the World Health Organization, Henderson oversaw the
implementation of a systematic vaccination program that focused on isolating
outbreaks instead of attempting mass vaccinations.
Throughout the relentless effort, he often relied
on his personal charm to urge leading officials to ensure their countries kept
the drive going. The campaign was declared a success in 1980.
His many international honors included the US
National Medal of Science in 1986 and Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's
highest civilian honor, in 2002.
Source: www.yahoo.com
22.08.2016
Learn to appreciate what you have before time makes
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