Two international repositories for this purpose will be maintained at the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the Russian State Research Centre of Virology and Biotechnology. The vaccinia virus used for the production of smallpox vaccine is a relatively harmless virus of the same family as the variola virus. Less than 30 years ago, smallpox was endemic in 31 countries, affecting up to 15 million people each year. Two million of those died while survivors remained disfigured and often blinded for life. Since then this investment has been recovered many times over in savings on vaccine and medical care and the suspension of international surveillance activities.
Smallpox eradication is among the greatest public health achievements of all time.
For further information, please contact Igor Rozov, Health Communications and Public Relations, WHO, Geneva.