Most sources after the political transformation of 1989 focus on the medical aspects of smallpox epidemics, tendentiously avoiding analyses that could present the actions of state institutions of the “rightly bygone” system in a flattering tone. Materials from before the transformation, on the other hand, glorify the operation of the state apparatus, sometimes omitting draconian and, from our perspective, regime solutions of the then authorities aimed at suppressing epidemics at all costs. The aim of the paper is to capture the events related to outbreaks of smallpox after World War II in both a political, social, and medical aspect.
