To be fair the scientists only invented the vaccine, and modern scientists are inventing plenty of vaccines and medical technologies today, including vaccines for infamously difficult to stop diseases like HIV.

Eradicating smallpox was a feat of international cooperation and administration. If we put in the effort in those areas today we could eliminate measles or polio. Or in the near future we could begin the process of eliminating HIV (it would take a long time because it’s not a death sentence anymore). Now I’m mad we aren’t engaged in a global fight to eliminate HIV the way we did for smallpox.