1946::Post-War Smallpox Resurgence in the Pacific Northwest

Fifteen weeks to control a deadly smallpox outbreak.

"1946::Smallpox Arrives on the Pacific Coast Aboard the USS Hermitage" Photo Clip: Public Domain

On February 5, 1946, two American Navy ships, the USS Hermitage and USS Haskell, arrived in Seattle, Washington. They had sailed across the Pacific from Japan with thousands of veteran troops aboard, all anxious to return home from war. Before the troops could disembark, however, Port Authorities performed their routine inspection and discovered three very sick soldiers on board. They quarantined both ships and brought in the health authorities for advice. Upon examination, the two soldiers who were thought to have typhus had merely a bad fever, but for one soldier, the threat of smallpox was very real. He was immediately removed from the ship and transported to the base infirmary. The soldier had fallen ill near the beginning of the voyage, and the ship's medics had suspected smallpox. To protect the other soldiers from an outbreak, the ship's captain sailed hundreds of miles off course to Pearl Harbour, where he was given enough supplies to vaccinate his 6,800 passengers and crew before continuing to Seattle. His quick decision to vaccinate all on board satisfied the health authorities, and after 20 hours of quarantine, the troops were free to disembark. It was a decision they would soon regret.

"1946::The Smallpox Outbreak Begins" Clip: The Seattle Star (1946) Seattle, Washington

The infected soldier had been taken to the military hospital at Fort Lawton, where its staff and patients had been vaccinated before his arrival. A few days later, however, a female patient who had unknowingly come in contact with the infected soldier was transferred to a civilian hospital for additional care. She died within weeks, and the civilian hospital was closed and quarantined due to the massive smallpox contamination that she had spread to its patients and staff.

"1946::Seattlers Line Up to be Vaccinated"

Clip: Spokane Chronicle (1946)

Spokane, Washington

By the end of March, the outbreak had reached epidemic proportions, and a State of Emergency was declared. Thousands lined up at Seattle's health clinics to be vaccinated, but the supply was quickly exhausted, and hundreds were turned away. Struggling to curb the outbreak, the State of Washington reached out for any available supply of vaccines.

"1946::State of Emergency Declared"

Clip: The Bellingham Herald (1946) Bellingham, Washington

Portland, Oregon, responded to Seattle's cry for help by sending its own emergency supply of vaccines. However, when smallpox cases began appearing in neighbouring towns and cities, they realized it was time to start their own vaccination process. Supplies began to arrive from the East Coast, but it was too little, too late. Within weeks of the outbreak, Seattle's declared State of Emergency quickly expanded to include the entire length of the Pacific Coast, stretching from Mexico to Alaska.

"1946::Victorians Line Up at Pandora Avenue Health Centre to Get Vaccinated"

Photo Clip: Times Colonist (1946) Victoria, British Columbia

As the smallpox outbreak escalated south of the Canadian border, Vancouver Islanders were urged to get vaccinated, especially after learning that the State of Washington had failed to fully quarantine Seattle while attempting to contain the situation. Incoming and outgoing passenger ferries and commercial shipments between the international ports had been carrying on with business as usual, putting citizens at risk of infection. However, when a State of Emergency was declared, British Columbia's health authorities issued a quarantine order on all vessels arriving in the province by air or sea. They also closed the British Columbia-Washington border to the unvaccinated and anyone without proof of vaccination. And even though the province ordered 250,000 vaccines for its citizens, it wasn't enough for everyone. The lineup at the Pandora Avenue Health Clinic in Victoria and other health clinics around the province was greater than the city's supply. Thousands were turned away unvaccinated.

"1946::Fifteen Weeks Later"

Photo Clip: Times Colonist (1946)Victoria, British Columbia

After fifteen weeks of madness, the smallpox epidemic of 1946 came to an end. Nearly 400,000 British Columbians had rushed to protect themselves with a shield of vaccination, warding off any chance the smallpox virus had to propagate. Almost the same number of citizens were vaccinated in the State of Washington. In the final review of the outbreak, a total of 68 smallpox cases had been recorded, with 20 deaths and 41 survivors showing scars resulting from severe attacks.

"1946::Vaccination Opposers"

Clip: Victoria Daily Times (1946)

Victoria, British Columbia

While thousands of British Columbians lined up to be vaccinated, anti-vivisectionists tried to convince the masses that vaccination was no longer necessary in their modern society. Their research revealed that smallpox had been eradicated in Britain since the 1930s, largely due to the government's successful vaccination program. However, the same vaccination program was now threatening injuries rather than offering protection. The program eventually came under review in Britain and was discontinued in 1971 after more than a hundred years of compulsory vaccinations. Less than a decade later, in 1980, the World Health Organization announced the eradication of smallpox from the earth, marking the end of a disease that had been known for thousands of years. Smallpox eradication is still regarded as one of the most significant achievements in international public health.

"1879::The Anti-Vivisectionists"

Clip: The Hamilton Spectator (1879)

Hamilton, Ontario

The anti-vivisectionist cause has existed for centuries, even if under different names. In Victoria, a group was first established not long after the First World War in response to experimental and torturous cruelty imposed on humans and animals in the name of science. However, the atrocities continued throughout the Second World War by warring countries, including, among others, the United States, Soviet Russia, the Imperial Japanese Army (Unit 731) and Nazi Germany. The anti-vivisectionists brought many stories to light that would have otherwise been buried and forgotten.