Abstract:
An expansive, worldwide smallpox eradication programme (SEP) was announced by the World Health Assembly in 1958, leading this decision-making body to instruct the World Health Organization Headquarters in Geneva to work with WHO regional offices to engage and draw in national governments to ensure success. Tabled by the Soviet Union\'s representative and passed by a majority vote by member states, the announcement was subject to intense diplomatic negotiations. This led to the formation, expansion and reshaping of an ambitious and complex campaign that cut across continents and countries. This article examines these inter-twining international, regional and national processes, and challenges long-standing historiographical assumptions about the fight against smallpox only gathering strength from the mid-1960s onwards, after the start of a US-supported programme in western Africa. The evidence presented here suggests a far more complex picture. It shows that although the SEP\'s structures grew slowly between 1958 and 1967, a worldwide eradication programme resulted from international negotiations made possible through gains during this period. Significant progress in limiting the incidence of smallpox sustained international collaboration, and justified the prolongation and expansion of activities. Indeed, all of this bore diplomatic and legal processes within the World Health Assembly and WHO that acted as the foundation of the so-called intensified phase of the SEP and the multi-faceted activities that led to the certification of smallpox eradication in 1980.
摘要:
一个广阔的,世界卫生大会于1958年宣布了全球天花根除计划(SEP),领导该决策机构指示日内瓦世界卫生组织总部与世卫组织区域办事处合作,参与并吸引各国政府,以确保成功。由苏联代表组成,成员国以多数票通过,这一宣布需要经过紧张的外交谈判。这导致了形成,扩大和重塑跨越大陆和国家的雄心勃勃和复杂的运动。本文考察了这些相互交织的国际,区域和国家进程,并挑战了关于抗击天花的长期史学假设,从1960年代中期开始,在美国支持的西非计划开始后。这里提供的证据表明情况要复杂得多。它表明,尽管SEP的结构在1958年至1967年之间增长缓慢,但国际谈判导致的全球根除计划通过在此期间的收益成为可能。在限制天花发病率方面取得重大进展,持续的国际合作,并证明活动的延长和扩大是合理的。的确,所有这些都是世界卫生大会和世卫组织内部的外交和法律程序,这些程序是SEP所谓的强化阶段和导致1980年根除天花认证的多方面活动的基础。