Smallpox was eradicated by the introduction of vaccines, right?

While many believe this to be true, the data paints a very different picture. Let’s take a brief peek at that data.

Smallpox vaccinations became mandatory in England in 1853. Between 1857 and 1859, 14,000 people died from smallpox. Thanks to forced vaccinations, 20,000 people died between 1863 and 1865. The number of deaths rose to 45,000 between 1870 and 1872. This trend was repeated in Massachusetts, Germany, Japan, Austria, Holland, Ireland, Scotland and Sweden. The data is all there – please check it out for yourself.

The people rise up

During this period in England, something very significant happened in the city of Leicester, England. It was 1871 and 95% of the infants had already been vaccinated. (Those who refused vaccination were jailed and had personal property confiscated.)

Despite the super high vaccination status, some of the worst pandemics broke out in that city. People were outraged. They could see with their own eyes what had happened. Their kids had been damaged, the pandemics had increased and they were angry. When the boiling point was reached, 80,000 people poured out into the streets.

Pushback

A large rally resulted. Many who attended decided they were done with smallpox vaccines, no matter what the authorities said. Instead, they reverted back to isolating the sick who would be tended by members of the community who had already recovered from smallpox. Over the next 8 years, the vaccination rate in Leicester dropped from 95% to 5%.

What is significant is that over the same period, the death rates declined – drastically. The World Health Statistics Annual (1973-1976, Volume 2) records that “There has been a steady decline of infectious diseases in most developing countries, regardless of the percentage of immunizations administered in these countries.”

The takeaways

What does this tell us? It tells us that vaccines did NOT eradicate smallpox! What else was going on at this time that could have made such an impact? The Leicester account give us a clue: it was proper quarantine of the sick, good sanitation and improved nutrition. As the World Health Statistics Annual pointed out, the steady decline was in “infectious diseases” – plural. Are we really expected to believe that the smallpox vaccine produced this change in other diseases?

There’s an old adage that says “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” It’s time to learn from the mistakes of the past.

Resource: A good resource for those who want to dig deeper into the data, is the book “Dissolving Illusions” by Dr. Humphries.