In partnership with Scientific American
Coronavirus: Lessons From Past Epidemics
The race for a vaccine against COVID19 recalls past efforts to conquer infectious diseases. But smallpox remains the only infectious disease to have been globally extinguished. Dr. Larry Brilliant was part of the World Health Organization’s smallpox eradication campaign in the 1970s. Today he is urging the U.S. to speed up the mobilization of medical supplies and building of field hospitals, and for public health experts to think outside the box, a hallmark of the effort that eradicated smallpox.
Related:
Chasing Cures for Deadly Scourges, and Getting in Our Own Way by Clyde Haberman
More Like This
What's in a Number? Some Research Shows That a Lower B.M.I. Isn't Always Better.
Biased ideas about a link between body size and health have led many people to dismiss unexpected scientific findings.
Bringing Midwifery Back to Black Mothers
For care in pregnancy and childbirth, Black parents are turning to a traditional practice.
Burden of Richmond Evictions Weighs Heaviest in Black Neighborhoods
An eviction moratorium has slowed filings in cities like Richmond, but it hasn’t stopped them, and Black tenants are at highest risk.
We’re Catching More Diseases From Wild Animals, and It’s Our Fault.
Scientists who venture into rainforests and bat caves explain how viruses, like Covid-19, spill over from animals to people, and what we must do to stop the next pandemic.