Which disease was the target of the first successful vaccination?
Polio
Measles
Smallpox
Tuberculosis
Fact: The first successful vaccination targeted smallpox, a deadly disease that killed millions over centuries. In 1796, British physician Edward Jenner discovered that milkmaids who had contracted the mild disease cowpox were immune to smallpox. To test his theory, he inoculated a young boy with material from a cowpox sore and later exposed him to smallpox—the boy never developed the illness. This groundbreaking method laid the foundation for modern immunology and ultimately led to the global eradication of smallpox in 1980, making it the first disease to be eliminated by vaccination.
Correct Answer: Smallpox