Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Nick Page.
Voice 2
And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Through history, a deadly disease called “smallpox” threatened people all over the world. In some areas this disease killed more than 10% of the population. And for children it was even worse. Smallpox killed as many as one in every three children. There was no cure. But then, on May 14th, 1796, one simple experiment changed the future of smallpox. The end of smallpox had begun.
Voice 2
The story of smallpox is linked very closely to the story of vaccines, a kind of medical treatment that people still use today. Today’s Spotlight is on the history of vaccines.
Voice 1
Smallpox is a very ancient disease. Scientists have found evidence that smallpox has been on the earth for thousands of years.
Voice 2
Smallpox is a deadly disease. It spreads very easily. The first signs of the disease begin two to four days after infection. There is a very high fever. A person will begin to show a rash - this is raised red bumps on a person’s skin. These bumps are filled with infected liquid. After a time the bumps begin to dry and form skin over them - scabs. Some people do survive after having smallpox. But they often carry terrible permanent scars, or become blind. Many people do not survive.
