The Gishe Expedition
Document Type
Contribution to Books
Publication Date
2019
Abstract
This story is an account of a month-long smallpox eradication expedition in May and June of 1974 to Gishe (pronounced: Gēē' shay), an isolated area in Shewa province in the central highlands of Ethiopia. Smallpox was a communicable viral disease that normally required close personal contact to spread. While there was no cure for a person already sick with smallpox, a highly effective vaccine existed that could prevent further transmission if people in the area surrounding an active case could be vaccinated.
Publication Information
Barrash, Warren. (2019). "The Gishe Expedition". In G.L. Bartley, J.S. Porterfield, A. Schnur, and J.W. Skelton, Jr. (Eds.), Eradicating Smallpox in Ethiopia: Peace Corps Volunteers' Accounts of Their Adventures, Challenges and Achievements (pp. 255-303). Peace Corps Writers.