1963 Wrocław smallpox epidemic

Patient zero

Bonifacy Jedynak, a Lieutenant Colonel of the Security Service, brought smallpox to Poland after returning from Delhi, India, on May 22, 1963, traveling under a false name with a forged health certificate. He developed an unknown infectious disease and reported to the Ministry of the Interior Hospital on Ołbińska Street on June 2 (or May 29). Doctors diagnosed malaria after finding parasites in his blood; he recovered and was discharged in mid-June.

Unbeknownst to them, he also carried smallpox. During his hospital stay, he infected either a nurse or a cleaning woman, who became the secondary source of the epidemic. Her son, daughter, and attending doctor later died.

Course of the epidemic

The first isolation center opened July 18 at the Agricultural Mechanization Technical School in Pracze Odrzańskie, with about 360 beds. An observation hospital opened in a dormitory in Psie Pole. Three hospitals were closed.

On July 17, an epidemic hospital and quarantine center was established in Szczodre, directed by Dr. Alicja Surowiec, admitting five patients immediately. In total, 1,462 people were isolated. The Szczodre hospital had three wards: one for symptomatic patients (36-day treatment), a children's ward with nine girls and six boys aged five months to twelve years, and strict movement bans.

A second facility was prepared in Prząśnik. Authorities declared an alert and mandatory vaccination for all Wrocław residents. The first public signal was a July 18 article in Gazeta Robotnicza mentioning five smallpox diagnoses; a week later, a list of sought contacts was published.

The city during the pandemic

Public buildings had door handles wrapped in chloramine-soaked bandages; ticket windows and airport counters were similarly treated. Hand disinfection in chloramine bowls was required. Posters read 'We greet and say goodbye without shaking hands. A sanitary cordon surrounded Wrocław: militia patrols checked documents and vaccination certificates at exit roads; railway stations refused tickets without proof of vaccination.

Unvaccinated individuals faced fines up to 4,500 złoty or three months detention; refusing treatment carried up to 15 years in prison. Forty people were punished, ten summoned before a misdemeanor board, and six sentenced. Authorities picked up escapees from isolation centers at night. Self-service bread sales were suspended on August 3; all swimming pools closed; sobering-up stations shut down.

Residents faced social exclusion at seaside resorts and foreign trips; a doctor was stopped at the border and smeared in the press.

Vaccinations and treatment

A network of vaccination points covered all Wrocław residents (about 500,000) and many outsiders. In total, 8.2 million people in Poland were vaccinated, including two million in Lower Silesia. Vaccination was mandatory, even for those with medical contraindications; refusal from August 5 could bring three months in prison or a 4,500 złoty fine. The vaccine used cowpox material applied to the arm with about 30 punctures; a check after 4–5 days determined if it took; after three failed attempts, a certificate was issued.

Vaccinations began immediately after the epidemic was identified, and on July 20 the Ministry extended them nationwide. Vaccinating contraindicated individuals caused 9 deaths and about one thousand adverse reactions. Of the 99 patients (25 healthcare workers, aged 8 months to 83 years), 86 were hospitalized in Szczodre. Seven died, including four medical personnel.

Treatment lasted about 40 days, including 36 days in a closed ward until scabs fell; therapy included serum from vaccinated individuals. Patients then bathed in potassium permanganate solution and, if symptoms subsided, were discharged with 14 days sick leave. Over 350 healthcare workers participated.

Did You Know?

• The first fatal victim, nurse Lonia Kowalczyk, was initially misdiagnosed with leukemia due to a leukemoid reaction.
• Between 1945 and 1962, Europe recorded 69 smallpox outbreaks; only six exceeded one hundred cases.
• Poland still operated under the 1935 Act on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases during the epidemic.