Ha! I was surely not born in 1972. I am sitting here watching the rain wondering, damn what the world would have looked like in that era. This is my most fav blog of yours until now. It touches on aspects of science of the disease and vaccines and have a brilliant personal touch. In middle I was little emotional thinking about my mother. My parents passed away when I was like 10 years old and I guess I was too young to even know what dreams of their I could have fulfilled when I grew up. It was very touching moment for me when you explained how before disease could effect her vision you made sure you could take her to see Europe.

Anyhow getting back to smallpox. I am very curious about the last 1978 case of small pox. Why miss Parker got infected. I have to, have to dig deeper into this. Anyway, about being worried about small pox. Well luckily since ages we haven't heard of any infection. Through vaccination we made sure that we have eradicated whatever we knew of. The military people I think get vaccinated because of likelihood of smallpox to be used in some bioweapon. If it is to hit again ever it will definitely be a mass chaos. Though if it's not some new strain I think it would be contained fast, because we have learnt a lot about it. But before containment it can cause some damage for sure.

Anyhow, thanks for this wonderful article.