Lanka-born and educated doctor helps contain epidemic in the UK Source:The Island Miles Ellingham on how a smallpox epidemic was averted by his grandfather’s swift and meticulous tracing of contacts This article is about Dr Clifford Jansz (1924-1998), written by his grandson a young journalist, Miles Ellingham who lives in England. Lockdown life has thrown families together again and doubtless revealed many a forgotten episode as lofts have been braved, photo albums revisited and talk of generations renewed. My own finding is an extraordinary and timely one: the report of a smallpox epidemic that my grandfather managed in Harrow. The episode was Britain’s last-but-one outbreak of smallpox, in 1973. If it was not swiftly contained, and all contacts found and treated, there was a threat of smallpox breaking out across London and potentially beyond. The World Health Organization was alerted. ...

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