The eradication of smallpox set enduring standards for global health policy. It emphasized the importance of surveillance, rapid response, and targeted vaccination, principles still central to modern outbreak management. The campaign also demonstrated the need for international cooperation, inspiring the creation of global disease monitoring systems under the WHO. Policies promoting mass immunization, contact tracing, and public health education were modeled after smallpox strategies and are now used for diseases like polio, measles, and COVID-19. Above all, smallpox eradication proved that with coordination, trust, and persistence, even the deadliest diseases can be defeated through science and collective action.