The Balmis Expedition: A Humanitarian Milestone of Spain and its Navy in the History of Global Health

The Royal Philanthropic Vaccine Expedition, also known as the “Balmis Expedition,” was the first global humanitarian mission, organized by Spain in 1803, with the goal of bringing the smallpox vaccine to Spanish territories in America and the Philippines. For three years, Balmis’s team sailed the Atlantic and Pacific, administering the vaccine to thousands of people.

This lecture will take a historical tour of the Balmis Expedition, highlighting its significance in the fight against smallpox and its legacy in the history of medicine and public health. It will analyze the figure of Francisco Javier Balmis and his vision of bringing the vaccine to the Spanish territories of America and Asia, as well as the key role of the Spanish navy in the expedition, which facilitated the transport of the vaccine and medical personnel around the world.

We will also value the role of Isabel Zendal, one of the nurses selected to accompany the orphaned children who carried the vaccine and her contribution to medical care and public health.

Finally, the importance of vaccines in the prevention of infectious diseases and their impact on public health will be discussed. The Balmis Expedition is an early and outstanding example of the importance of vaccines in the fight against infectious diseases, and its legacy continues to be relevant today, with the recent COVID-19 pandemic and as an example of the necessary collaboration among various professional fields to face the challenges we will encounter in the future.

The conference will be aimed at the general public, including those interested in the history of medicine, public health, and the importance of vaccines.

Speakers:

Dr. Mariano Esteban
Head of the Poxvirus and Vaccines Group at the National Center for Biotechnology, CSIC

Navy Captain, Mr. Juán Ozores Massó
Head of the Publications Section in the Department of Studies and Research, Spanish Navy