Lessons from Smallpox Eradication for Health Threats in 2024

The improbable victory over smallpox holds lessons for health threats in 2024. Physician and podcaster Céline Gounder traveled to Bangladesh in 2022 to track down South Asian public health workers who were part of the battle to end smallpox nearly 50 years ago. The podcast captures the remarkable achievements and challenges faced by these public health workers in South Asia, shedding light on a history that was in danger of being lost. By documenting the stories of these unsung heroes, Gounder’s podcast aims to answer the question of how smallpox was defeated and what lessons that victory holds for addressing current health threats.