In 1796 Edward Jenner developed a vaccination for smallpox by infecting people with cowpox.  People did not like this practice because they thought that smallpox was God's will.  Later the use of vaccination became widely used.

 

In the 20th century, there were two weapons used against the battle of smallpox: (1) an effective vaccine and (2) the fact that the smallpox virus exists only in humans.

 

In 1967, World Health Organization (WHO) launched a worldwide vaccination campaign against smallpox.  The WHO campaign stopped vaccination in the United States towards the end of the 1970's (encarta). 

 

Now in December of 2002 President Bush authorized a plan for those who want to be vaccinated for smallpox in case of an outbreak of smallpox in the United States.  He did this for the threat of bioterrorism. 

 

The current stage, which smallpox is in today, is how smallpox will be used in the act of terrorism.  The history of smallpox will always be changing as well as the technology of how smallpox is used in the affects of terrorism.