Wheatmark author Bee Bloeser, whose memoir Vaccines & Bayonets: Fighting Smallpox in Africa amid Tribalism, Terror, and the Cold War chronicles her family’s firsthand experience on the front lines of global disease eradication, has been honored with a Special Congressional Recognition for her contributions to the international campaign to eliminate smallpox.
The recognition was presented by U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal during a recent event in Santa Barbara, celebrating Bee’s decades of service as a public health professional and her role in supporting smallpox eradication teams in Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea. The award highlights the extraordinary effort of those who worked—often under dangerous and unpredictable conditions—to help send one of history’s deadliest diseases into the past.
Bee’s memoir offers a rare and personal perspective on this massive global health undertaking, blending Cold War history, cultural encounters, and the everyday realities of living in countries undergoing intense political and social upheaval. Through her writing and public speaking, she continues to raise awareness about the people and stories behind one of humanity’s greatest medical achievements.
Congratulations to Bee Bloeser on this well-deserved recognition.
