It states the WHO declared it gone...totally....in 1980. Or is that the wrong interpretation?
I figure that WHO hadn’t checked EVERYWHERE to see if it was TOTALLY gone, otherwise we would not see it coming back.
It hasn’t been seen anywhere in the world since then, except in a small number of labs (I believe 3?) where it is strictly controlled (frozen solid in containment units).
I have no idea where people are getting the idea that smallpox is making a comeback, but it isn’t. No known cases exist anywhere on Earth. None have for decades. The biggest risk would be someone recreating it and weaponizing it from previous research materials. Certainly the technology to synthesize it has grown increasingly cheap and readily available. Most of what would be missing at this point is knowledge. I wouldn’t be shocked if Iran could pull it off.