* Botswana, which had last reported cases in 1964, experienced a major epidemic beginning in 1972 but interrupted transmission in 1973.

** South-West Africa was renamed Namibia in 1968.

*** Southern Rhodesia (sometimes simply Rhodesia) was renamed Zimbabwe in 1980.

In many of the countries or jurisdictions in southern Africa, political issues complicated their official relationships with WHO and thus cooperation with health authorities. In 1967, only 4 countries (Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, and Zambia) were WHO Member States with full voting rights. They were joined by Swaziland after it became independent in 1968. These states accounted for only 20% of the population in southern Africa.

South Africa, a WHO Member State, had been deprived of its WHO voting rights and services in 1964. It stopped its annual contribution and its attendance at the World Health Assembly. Communication between South Africa and WHO all but ceased. Because South Africa administered Namibia (South-West Africa), communication with that jurisdiction was also affected.

Angola and Mozambique were Overseas Protectorates of Portugal until 1975 and were preoccupied with civil war. Contact had to be made through the health authorities in Lisbon, where smallpox eradication was of little significance among other problems.

Southern Rhodesia, administered by the United Kingdom, was an Associate Member of WHO represented by the UK until 1965, when its WHO rights were suspended on UK initiative. Official communication had to conducted through London, but there was little official contact between the UK and Southern Rhodesian.

Alternative methods for ensuring freedom from smallpox had to be adopted for these nations and for Madagascar, an island nation that had eliminated smallpox before 1918 and had it last reported importation in 1934. These are detailed in Smallpox and its Eradication, Chapter 20.