Reaction
The government's reaction was swift. Martial law was declared on March 16. Measures included blockades of villages and neighbourhoods, roadblocks, prohibition of public meetings, closure of borders and prohibition of all non-essential travel. Hotels were requisitioned for quarantines in which 10,000 people who may have been in contact with the virus were held under guard by the army.
Musa's brother developed a smallpox rash on March 20, resulting in medical authorities realising that Musa had died of smallpox. The authorities undertook a massive revaccination of the population, helped by the World Health Organization, "...almost the entire Yugoslavian population of 18 million people was vaccinated." Leading experts on smallpox were flown in to help, including Donald Henderson and Don Francis.
Within two weeks, almost the entire population had been re-vaccinated. By mid-May the spread of the disease was stopped and the country returned to normal life. During the epidemic, 175 people contracted smallpox and 35 of them died.
Read more about this topic: 1972 Outbreak Of Smallpox In Yugoslavia
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“Christianity was only a very strong and singularly well-timed Salvation Army movement that happened to receive help from an unusual and highly dramatic incident. It was a Puritan reaction in an age when, no doubt, a Puritan reaction was much wanted; but like all sudden violent reactions, it soon wanted reacting against.”
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