Advances in medicine have meant many lives saved over the years, but it also has led to weakened immune systems that would leave people vulnerable to the resurrection of an older, incredibly deadly disease: smallpox.

Professor Raina MacIntyre of the University of New South Wales (UNSW) is sounding the alarm on this fact, saying that while the disease was eradicated nearly 40 years ago, recent events have increased its capability for revival. Further, the CDC had determined that urban spaces such as Sydney and New York City boast weakened immune systems for almost 1 in 5 of their populace, meaning thousands would be especially vulnerable to the disease’s ravages. READ MORE