The declaration came at 4:10 p.m. in Geneva — more than two years after the last endemic patient, because the world first had to spend those years actively hunting for another case and finding none.
Researched rewrite. See the article for its audit history and open findings.
Supplied a tool, not a finished victory. Vaccination made prevention possible. Eradication also required improved vaccines, surveillance, finding cases and coordinated work across countries over many decades.