Why arent people still routinely vaccinated for smallpox?
The last case of smallpox in the United States was in 1949. The last naturally occurring case in the world was in Somalia in 1977. After the disease was eliminated from the world, routine vaccination against smallpox among the general public was stopped because it was no longer necessary for prevention, and because of the risk of adverse events from the vaccine.
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- Why arent people still routinely vaccinated for smallpox?