Smallpox one-third of the cases resulted in blindness. These deaths included those of four reigning monarchs and a queen consort. In the 20th century smallpox killed 200-300 million people. Edward Jenner discovered in 1798 that vaccination could prevent smallpox. In 1967, the WHO intensified efforts to eliminate the disease. Smallpox is one of two infectious diseases to have been eradicated, the other being rinderpest in 2011. The term "smallpox" was first used in Britain in the 15th century to distinguish the disease from syphilis, which was then known as the "great pox". Other historical names for the disease include pox, speckled
To the Youth in Western Countries To the Youth in Western Countries On 29 November 2015, Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, published an open letter addressed to the youth in western countries. It is the second letter of its kind, the first one having been published in January 2015. Both were distributed via his accounts on various social media, including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, using the hashtag #CommonWorry. The second letter deals with Khamenei's views on the causes of recent terrorism. It was written in response to the November 2015 Paris attacks and other contemporary terrorist actions, such as the Metrojet Flight 9268 crash