Vaccine Revolt

Vaccine Revolt

The pagename, or Vaccine Rebellion, was a period of civil disorder which occurred in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 10 through 16, 1904.

Antecedents

At the beginning of the 20th century the city of Rio de Janeiro, then capital of Brazil, although noted for beautiful palaces and mansions, also suffered from serious inadequacies in infrastructure, including insufficient water and sewer systems, irregular garbage collection, and densely populated tenements.

In this environment many illnesses proliferated, including tuberculosis, measles, typhus and leprosy. From time to time epidemics of yellow fever, smallpox and bubonic plague occurred. Between 1897 and 1906, 4,000 European immigrants died in Rio de Janeiro from yellow fever alone.

Beginning in 1902, national president Rodrigues Alves determined to improve hygiene and modernize the city. He gave plenary powers to the city’s mayor Pereira Passos and to Director General of Public Health Dr. Oswaldo Cruz to execute sweeping sanitary improvements. The mayor initiated an extensive urban reform program, which was popularly termed the "bota abaixo" ("throwing down or out"), in reference to the demolition of older buildings and tenement houses, with subsequent conversion of the land to stately avenues, gardens, and upscale homes and businesses. Thousands of poor people were displaced to peripheral neighborhoods.

Dr. Cruz created the "Brigadas Mata Mosquitos" (Mosquito-Killing Brigades), groups of sanitary service workers who entered homes in order to exterminate the mosquitoes which transmitted yellow fever. The campaign also worked to exterminate rats which transmitted bubonic plague, distributing rat poison and requiring proper handling, storage, and collection of garbage.

The popular revolt

To eradicate smallpox, Cruz convinced the Congress to approve the Mandatory Vaccination Law (October 31, 1904), which permitted sanitary brigade workers, accompanied by police, to enter homes to apply the vaccine by force.

The population was confused and discontented. The city seemed in ruins, many people had lost their homes, while others had had their homes invaded by the health workers and police. Articles in the press criticized the action of the government and spoke of possible risks of the vaccine. Moreover, it was rumored that the vaccine would have to be applied to the “intimate parts” of the body (or at least that women would have to undress in order to be vaccinated), aggravating the anger of the population, and resulting in a popular rebellion.

The approval of the Vaccination Law was the proximate cause of the revolt: on November 5, the opposition created the "Liga Contra a Vacina Obrigatória" (League Against Mandatory Vaccination).

From November 10 through 16, the city became a battlefield. The excited population looted shops, overturned and burned trams, made barricades, pulled out tracks, broke poles, and attacked government forces with rocks, sticks, and debris. On November 14, the cadets of the "Escola Militar da Praia Vermelha" (military college) also mutinied against the government’s actions. In reaction, the government suspended mandatory vaccination and declared a state of siege. The rebellion was contained, leaving 30 dead and 110 wounded. Hundreds of imprisoned people were deported to the then frontier region of Acre.

After the government resumed control, the vaccination process was restarted, resulting in smallpox eventually being eradicated from the city. The international medical community at large regarded Dr. Cruz' efforts in the affair with considerable sympathy: in 1907, the 14th International Congress on Hygiene and Demography in Berlin awarded him their gold medal.

ee also

*Vaccine controversy
*Revolutions of Brazil


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Vaccine controversies — James Gillray, The Cow Pock or the Wonderful Effects of the New Inoculation! (1802) A vaccine controversy is a dispute over the morality, ethics, effectiveness, or safety of vaccinations. Medical and scientific evidence surrounding vaccinations… …   Wikipedia

  • Vaccination policy — refers to the health policy a government adopts in relation to vaccination. Vaccinations are voluntary in some countries and mandatory in some countries as part of the public health system. Some governments pay all or part of the costs of… …   Wikipedia

  • Rebellions and revolutions in Brazil — This page lists various rebellions and revolutions in Brazil. * Empire of Brazil :* Pernambucan Revolt (1817):* Irish and German Mercenary Soldiers Revolt (1828):* Farroupilha Revolution (1835 1845):* Cabanagem (1835 1845):* Balaiada (1838… …   Wikipedia

  • List of riots — This is a chronological list of riots:The list is incomplete and contains only riots documented in Western culture archives. 17th century and earlier* 121 BC Roman Election Riot of 121 BC (Rome, Roman Republic) * 113 BC Roman Election Riot of 113 …   Wikipedia

  • History of Brazil (1889–1930) — The period of Brazilian history from 1889 to 1930 is commonly called the República Velha (Old Republic)Fact|date=December 2007. The República Velha ended in 1930 with a military coup that installed a dictatorFact|date=December 2007. The… …   Wikipedia

  • Hermes da Fonseca — Hermes Rodrigues da Fonseca 8th President of Brazil In office November 15, 1910 – November 15, 1914 Vice President …   Wikipedia

  • Oswaldo Cruz — For the neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, see Oswaldo Cruz (Rio de Janeiro). For the neighborhood in São Paulo, see Osvaldo Cruz. Oswaldo Gonçalves Cruz Oswaldo Cruz …   Wikipedia

  • Francisco de Paula Rodrigues Alves — Infobox President name=Francisco de Paula Rodrigues Alves nationality=Brazilian term start=November 15, 1902 term end=November 15, 1906 predecessor=Manuel Ferraz de Campos Sales (1902) Venceslau Brás Pereira Gomes (1918) successor=Afonso Pena… …   Wikipedia

  • Cidade Maravilhosa — This article is about the song. For the city nicknamed Marvelous City , see Rio de Janeiro. Cidade maravilhosa (Portuguese pronunciation: [siˈdadʒi maɾaviˈʎɔzɐ], Marvelous City) is a march that was written and composed by André Filho and… …   Wikipedia

  • Cidade do Samba — (Portuguese, Samba City) is a complex of buildings in Gamboa (Rio de Janeiro), where Samba schools prepare for carnival. About fourteen of the major samba schools have a warehouse in the complex. Warehouse Samba school 1 LIESA 2 União da Ilha 3… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”