Somewhere in the world, buried deep inside secured laboratories, are two vials of a gruesome, infectious disease that Dr. D. A. Henderson spent a decade working to destroy.
And he wants them gone.
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| Dr. D.A. Henderson |
In a keynote lecture at the University of Maryland’s first annual Public Health Reasearch@Maryland (PHRM) day, the world-renowned epidemiologist offered a glimpse into what it took to rid the planet of smallpox virus. It was a hard-fought battle and a landmark in public health history. Destroying the two known remaining samples of the disease would provide closure and send a message to the entire world, Henderson said.
An infamous epidemic
In the 20th century, smallpox claimed 300 million lives – more than twice the amount that occurred from all armed conflicts worldwide during that century, Henderson said.Victims included Abraham Lincoln, who was most likely suffering from the disease as he delivered the Gettysburg address.Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Henderson, his colleagues at the World Health Organization and countless community public health workers, the world has not seen a naturally occurring case of smallpox since 1977. However, the effects and impact of this disease and the effort to eradicate it are still being felt today.
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| Reynolds attended PHRM to hear from renowned epidemiologist D. A. Henderson. |
Biological Sciences and Virology Ph.D. student Sara Reynolds attended PHRM to participate in the bioterrorism forum, view research posters and listen to the keynote lecture. Reynolds regularly works with pox viruses and was consequently one of few Americans vaccinated against smallpox since the last U.S. case in 1949. Her Christmas present to her family last year? The book on which Henderson’s keynote address was based: Smallpox: The Death of a Disease.
Henderson’s story helped Reynolds see the relevance of her work, she said.
“It made me feel like my research was important and gave me a context to understand the implications of pox viruses,” she said. “It’s a story of inspiration…but it’s also a continuing story.”
Watch Dr. Henderson's keynote lecture: "Smallpox: Death of a Disease"
A spirit of collaboration
Public Health Research@Maryland day gave faculty, students and community members a unique opportunity to interact with public health experts like D.A. Henderson and network with members of the University of Maryland, College Park and Baltimore Campuses. It was one of the first of several activities related to the development of a collaborative School of Public Health. The collaborative school is under development as part of University of Maryland MPowering the State, an initiative designed to stimulate cross-disciplinary collaborations.
While Henderson is widely known as the force behind the World Health Organization’s smallpox campaign, the process was a team effort from start to finish, he said.
“[The campaign] gave me a view of community,” Henderson said. “You had to bring together a lot of ideas. It was exciting.”
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| Thornton and her colleagues presented a research poster at PHRM 2013. |
“I’ve read about him in so many books. I’ve been dying to meet him ever since,” she said. “He opened my eyes to the many possibilities of what I can do as one person.”
Passing the torch
While Henderson and his colleagues were successful in eliminating smallpox, other types of pox viruses and infectious diseases are still rampant in many parts of the world. Students like Reynolds and Thornton will be the ones to continue Henderson’s work in combating these diseases and he is happy to pass the torch on to them.
“We are only beginning to realize the potential of public health and to explore new horizons in research, understanding and application,” he says in the preface of Smallpox: the Death of a Disease. “It is a field begging for fresh, resourceful ideas and a new generation of professionals who are not constrained by ‘knowing’ what can't be done."
Watch Dr. Henderson's forum on bioterrorism from PHRM 2013.
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