The true story of smallpox and the successful campaign to eradicate the virus from the world. Telling the story of the long history of smallpox. How vaccination using Cowpox was started in England in the 1790s. Using circular vaccination in the 1970s to stop and eliminate the last outbreaks of the disease. With help from the World Health Organization (WHO), the last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977. The World Health Organization (WHO) certified the global eradication of the disease in 1980.