ABSTRACT
This article examines the history of smallpox, a dangerous infectious and epidemic disease, in Argentina through the government’s various public health policies from the 19th to the 20th century. The article discusses both the disease and the main tool used to fight it, vaccination, which involves medical practices as well as the debate between the right to individual use of the body and the social and collective responsibilities of universal immunization. The article also analyzes the relationship between governments of diverse political backgrounds and the international community regarding the production of vaccines and vaccination campaigns from their implantation to the eradication of the disease.
Keywords:
Argentina; smallpox; vaccination; immunization