The last naturally acquired smallpox case begins, at Marka
Ali Maow Maalin, a hospital cook in Marka, Somalia, develops a rash of variola minor. He recovers, and no further naturally acquired case is ever recorded. The last natural case of the far more lethal variola major had occurred in Bangladesh two years earlier. A single laboratory-acquired death followed in Birmingham in 1978.
Historical — it happened, and the record is settled.
Subjects
- Marka (Merca), Somalia · city · Somalia
- Vaccination · technology · Global · not located
Evidence
Partly verified — Core facts are sourced; some optional detail is deliberately absent.
The Global Eradication of Smallpox: Final Report of the Global Commission for the Certification of Smallpox Eradication
Supports the eradication of smallpox, its declaration date and the identification of the last naturally acquired case at Marka, Somalia, in October 1977. V55 verification basis: neither the report nor the resolution text was retrieved in this session.
World Health Organization, Geneva · 1980 · Partly verified
WHO Global Commission for the Certification of Smallpox Eradication, final report, Geneva 1980; declaration by World Health Assembly resolution WHA33.3, 8 May 1980
Recorded on Marka (Merca), Somalia
- The last naturally acquired smallpox case begins, at Marka
- The World Health Assembly declares smallpox eradicated
Related
Related because they share a subject in the Atlas — never because the text looks similar.