Scientist who helped eradicate smallpox dies at age 89
10 days ago
- #public health
- #vaccines
- #smallpox eradication
- William Foege, a key figure in eradicating smallpox, has died at age 89.
- He led the CDC’s Smallpox Eradication Program in the 1970s, contributing to the disease's eradication by 1980.
- Foege was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012 for his contributions to public health.
- He was a strong advocate for vaccines and worked on polio eradication efforts.
- Foege co-founded the Task Force for Global Health and was a senior adviser at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
- In 2025, he and other former CDC directors criticized health policies under Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
- Colleagues remember him as an inspirational leader who reinvigorated public health efforts globally.