science 🔬 How rinderpest was finally wiped out
Rinderpest, also known as cattle-plague, was officially declared eradicated in May 2011, making it only the second virus after smallpox to be wiped out. This massive disease initially struck sub-Saharan Africa after an Italian ship imported cattle from India in 1887 near Massawa, Red Sea. By 1897, an estimated 80–90% of all cattle on the African sub-continent were killed by the virus. The disease caused widespread devastation, wiping out not only livestock but also impacting human livelihoods across the continent. Experts remain cautious, noting the virus still exists in guarded lab samples and could resurface. 🐄