https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/562fzy/what_is_the_most_pleasant_and_uplifting_fact_you/
7 hours ago Smallpox emerged over 10,000 years ago. At its peak the disease killed 15 million people a year, maimed millions more and caused 1/3 of all blindness. Between the 1850s and the 1910s, mandatory vaccination drove smallpox out of North America and Europe. A coordinated UN effort from 1950 to the 1970s eliminated smallpox from the rest of the world. There hasn't been a single case since 1977. Working together, every country in the world teamed up to destroy an enemy that killed an estimated 400-500 million people in the 20th Century alone. And it took less than three decades to make it happen. The campaign to eliminate smallpox is proof that a united humanity is capable of incredible things. 5 hours ago Polio is projected to be eradicated in 2018. This, by the way, in case people didn't know, is awesome. There were like ... 106 recorded cases worldwide last year. There were 350 the year before. This year so far? There have only been 29 worldwide. We rock! Source http://polioeradication.org/polio-today/polio-now -- Cheers, Stephen _______________________________________________ Link mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
