News

CPH Book Club Selection: ‘House on Fire’

Published on July 7, 2014

Join College of Public Health students, faculty, and staff in a college-wide reading of House on Fire: The Fight to Eradicate Smallpox by William Foege, MD.

Foege is scheduled to visit the College of Public Health to receive the Richard and Barbara Hansen Leadership Award. He will take part in a public discussion of House on Fire hosted by Iowa Public Radio’s Dean Borg from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, at Callaghan Auditorium in the College of Public Health Building (N110 CPHB).

About the Book

A story of courage and risk-taking, House on Fire tells how smallpox, a disease that killed, blinded, and scarred millions over centuries of human history, was completely eradicated in a spectacular triumph of medicine and public health. Part autobiography, part mystery, the story is told by a man who was one of the architects of a radical vaccination scheme that became a key strategy in ending the horrible disease when it was finally contained in India.

In House on Fire, Foege describes his own experiences in public health and details the remarkable program that involved people from countries around the world in pursuit of a single objective—eliminating smallpox forever. Rich with the details of everyday life, as well as a few adventures, House on Fire gives an intimate sense of what it is like to work on the ground in some of the world’s most impoverished countries—and tells what it is like to contribute to programs that really do change the world.

Borrow a Book

CPH students, faculty, and staff are invited to borrow a copy of the book from the college for a two-week period. Email cph-communications@uiowa.edu for more information about a book loan.

The UI Libraries also has the book available electronically to those with UI library privileges.

Smallpox: Quick Facts

What is smallpox?
Smallpox is a serious, contagious, and sometimes fatal disease caused by the variola virus that emerged in human
populations thousands of years ago. The symptoms of smallpox begin with high fever, head and body aches, and
sometimes vomiting. A rash follows that spreads and progresses to raised bumps and pus-filled blisters that crust,
scab, and fall off after about three weeks, leaving a pitted scar.

When was smallpox eliminated?
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. In 1980, the disease was declared eradicated following worldwide vaccination programs. Except for
laboratory stockpiles, the variola virus has been eliminated. Vaccination against smallpox among the general public
was stopped after the disease was eliminated worldwide because it was no longer necessary for prevention.

Could smallpox be used for bioterrorism?
The U.S. government has taken precautions to be ready to deal with a bioterrorist attack using smallpox as a weapon.
As a result of these efforts: 1) There is a detailed nationwide smallpox response plan designed to quickly vaccinate
people and contain a smallpox outbreak. This plan includes the creation of smallpox health care teams that would
respond to a smallpox emergency and the vaccination of members of these teams. 2) There is enough smallpox
vaccine to vaccinate everyone who would need it in the event of an emergency.

Is there any treatment for smallpox?
Smallpox can be prevented through use of the smallpox vaccine. There is no proven treatment for smallpox,
but research to evaluate new antiviral agents is ongoing.

Is smallpox fatal?
The majority of patients with smallpox recover, but death may occur in up to 30% of cases. Many smallpox survivors
have permanent scars over large areas of their body, especially their face. Some are left blind.

If people had smallpox previously and survived, are they immune from the disease?
Yes. If they had smallpox before and survived, they are immune to the disease.

How is smallpox spread?
Generally, direct and fairly prolonged face-to-face contact is required to spread smallpox from one person to
another. Smallpox also can be spread through direct contact with infected bodily fluids or contaminated objects
such as bedding or clothing. Rarely, smallpox has been spread by virus carried in the air in enclosed settings such
as buildings, buses, and trains. Humans are the only natural hosts of variola. Smallpox is not known to be transmitted
by insects or animals. A person with smallpox is sometimes contagious with onset of fever, but the person becomes
most contagious with the onset of rash. At this stage the infected person is usually very sick and not able to move
around in the community. The infected person is contagious until the last smallpox scab falls off.

Other Resources
WHO Smallpox Eradication Program Photo Gallery
The Global Health Chronicles An online archive of documents, oral histories, photographs and media that help tell the story of a successful quest for global eradication of smallpox.

Sources
www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/smallpox/disease/
www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/smallpox/overview/disease-facts.asp