Eradicating Smallpox

In this teaching case, Dr. William Foege - the former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who many credit with eradicating smallpox - helps readers understand what it took to eradicate the disease. The case gives background information on smallpox, earlier immunization efforts, and describes how the social, political, and economic complexities of India impacted public health initiatives. As international endeavors to fight smallpox expanded in the 1960s, India continued to account for a disproportionate percentage of new cases. In the 1970s,  specific national and local strategies, a coordinated and centralized decision making structure, and an understanding of and clear communication with the population were crucial to the nation’s success– India was declared smallpox-free in 1977. The case ends with Dr. Foege wondering what lessons from smallpox eradication in India can be applied to the COVID-19 pandemic and future threats.

Learning Objectives: A productive class discussion will allow students to appreciate the following: (1) The role of power dynamics in global health, (2) the role of data and the importance of measuring the right outcome to inform program management, (3) human resource management and its relationship to stakeholder management, (4) the relationship between disease presentation and public health strategy and decision-making, and (5) how to build on what is known in confronting new contexts, diseases, and environments. 

The Global Health Delivery (GHD) Project, an interdisciplinary collaboration between Harvard Business School, Harvard Medical School, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, investigates the management decisions behind disease treatment and prevention globally. The Global Health Delivery (GHD) Case Collection is a set of teaching case studies that are available for all at no cost online through Harvard Business Publishing, GHDonline, and The Case Centre.