The World Health Organisation (WHO) is to be asked to consider offering a world-wide reward, possibly of several thousand dollars, to anyone reporting a case of smallpox. This was announced by Dr. Isao Arita, the head of the WHP's smallpox programme, on Wednesday (19 April) at the end of a three-day conference in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. The conference was held to study the progress of campaigns, which the organisation believes have finally conquered smallpox. There has been no case of the disease reported anywhere in the world for almost six months now. Surveillance will be maintained for a further 18 months, and if no cases are found in this period, experts will be satisfied that the disease has finally disappeared.

SYNOPSIS: The conference was held at the Kenyatta Conference Centre in Nairobi, and it was there that Dr. Arita spoke to newsmen.