The History of Smallpox Epidemics in Sri Lanka: Humanity’s Triumph Over a Global Scourge

Abstract

For centuries, smallpox raged as a scourge, killing one third of those who were infected, while those who survived were left blind, scarred or disfigured for life. In the first half of the 20th Century alone, between 300 to 500 million people died of it, and even as late as the 1950s around 50 million people suffered from smallpox annually. The smallpox epidemic which stalked Ceylon during Sri Sangabo’s reign in the Third Century wiped out half the country’s populace. Many well-known royals, aristocrats, military chiefs and clerics succumbed to the disease. This article explores the history of smallpox epidemics, variolation and vaccination in Ceylon. It also explores the sources of the epidemic and measures taken by colonial governments to rein in smallpox. It argues that smallpox was not endemic in Ceylon and that it was always imported from overseas. It also argues that slavery and indenture entailed the spread of epidemics and that variolation was not introduced to Ceylon by the British. The last definitive case of smallpox in the island was reported in 1967 and Ceylon became the first nation in South Asia to eradicate smallpox. In May 1980, the World Health Assembly declared that smallpox had been globally eradicated. This “triumph over smallpox” was made possible because of global solidarity and connectivity.