Which disease was the target of the first successful vaccination?

 Which disease was the target of the first successful vaccination?

The disease that was the target of the first successful vaccination was smallpox. In the late 18th century, English physician Edward Jenner observed that milkmaids who had previously contracted cowpox, a milder disease affecting cows, seemed to be immune to smallpox, a much more virulent and often fatal illness. Based on this observation, Jenner hypothesized that exposure to cowpox could provide protection against smallpox in humans.

In 1796, Jenner conducted a groundbreaking experiment. He took material from a cowpox blister on a milkmaid named Sarah Nelmes and inoculated it into the arm of an eight-year-old boy named James Phipps. Young James developed a mild illness and recovered. Subsequently, Jenner deliberately exposed James to smallpox, and remarkably, the boy did not develop the disease. This successful experiment demonstrated the principle of vaccination – using a milder, related disease to induce immunity against a more severe one – and marked a pivotal moment in medical history, eventually leading to the global eradication of smallpox.

Source:

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