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13 gru 2020 · A biological attack caused by a respiratory-transmissible agent such as smallpox could have a serious impact in India, due to high contact rates and population density. 4 The last natural case of smallpox occurred in 1977, but India was at that time the epicentre of smallpox globally. 5
In response to the situation, in 1962 the government of India launched the National Smallpox Eradication Program (NSEP) with a focus on mass vaccination of the population. It poured money into the vaccine manufacturing industry and hired healthcare workers to perform inoculations.
The earliest credible clinical evidence of smallpox is found in the descriptions of smallpox-like disease in medical writings from ancient India (as early as 1500 BCE), [91] [92] and China (1122 BCE), [93] as well as a study of the Egyptian mummy of Ramses V (died 1145 BCE).
The 1974 smallpox epidemic in India infected 188,000 people, leading to the deaths of 31,000 Indians. [1] The media reported the smallpox epidemic as the most severe. [2] However, the claim is debatable due to improvements in reporting since the epidemics of 1875 and 1967. [3]
Smallpox Eradication in India, 1972-1977. Zero smallpox. In May 1975, the very last case of smallpox was found in India. For the next two years, searches and active surveillance were continued to ensure there were no hidden smallpox pockets.
Anyone who survived the disease had lifelong immunity from subsequent smallpox outbreaks. Many victims were infants or young children who were unprotected during their first exposure to smallpox. Long term complications included pitted skin and scarring particularly of the face and blindness.
14 lut 2012 · As per confession of Dr. K. Alibekov, a Russian scientist who defected to US in 1992, one particularly virulent strain, India 67 or India 1, was weaponised by the Russians. They perfected techniques for mass producing smallpox and maintained a rolling annual stockpile of hundreds of tonnes.
