The Vaccine Revolt was a popular rebellion against the mandatory nature and methods of administering the smallpox vaccine, which took place in Rio de Janeiro between November 10 and 16, 1904.
It occurred in a context of health reforms in the city, led by doctor Oswaldo Cruz, who proposed mandatory vaccination to try to prevent the spread of the disease.
The clashes involving the population, health agents and the police lasted 6 days and resulted in vandalism, arrests and the end of mandatory vaccination.
What were the causes and consequences?
When Rodrigues Alves took office in 1902, Rio de Janeiro was facing serious health challenges. As the country’s capital at the time, the city suffered from narrow, poorly ventilated streets, poor waste management, poor housing and ineffective public health.
In this way, diseases spread rapidly. In addition to the smallpox virus, rats and mosquitoes proliferated, transmitting fatal diseases such as bubonic plague and yellow fever.
Determined to modernize and clean up the city, Rodrigues Alves appointed engineer Pereira Passos as mayor and physician Oswaldo Cruz as Director of Public Health. Thus began an ambitious urban reform in Rio de Janeiro, with the widening of streets and avenues, while measures to combat disease were also developed.
Rio de Janeiro’s urban redevelopment initiatives, however, affected the city’s poorest sectors. They were displaced, as their shacks and tenements were demolished to widen streets and build public buildings.
The population was forced to move far from work and to even more precarious housing in the hills, increasing the growth of the favelas.
As another result of the demolitions, rents have risen, leaving the population increasingly indignant.
In turn, to solve the health crisis, it was necessary to combat mosquitoes and rats, transmitters of the main diseases, along with the garbage accumulated in the city.
First, the government announced that it would pay the population for each rat that was handed over to the authorities. The result was the emergence of breeders of these rodents, who aimed to earn extra income.
Due to the fraud, the government suspended the reward for the seizure of the rats.
Another measure adopted was the creation of “mosquito-killing” guards, who roamed the streets and entered homes to combat the proliferation of these insects.
Mandatory vaccination
Physician Oswaldo Cruz (1872-1917), hired to solve the public health crisis, imposed in this context mandatory vaccination against smallpox for all Brazilians over six months old.
Politicians, opposition military officers and a large part of the city’s population opposed the measure. In addition to the lack of information about the vaccine, this and other sanitation actions were carried out in an authoritarian manner, with homes being invaded by health agents accompanied by the police force.
Furthermore, at a time when people wore full-body coverings, showing their arms to get vaccinated was seen as “immoral”. Thus, the population’s dissatisfaction with the government was widespread.
The press did not forgive Oswaldo Cruz, publishing cartoons mocking the effectiveness of the vaccine.
Agitators incited the urban masses to confront the Public Health officials who continued to invade homes and forcibly vaccinate people.
The most radical advocated resistance to bullets, claiming that citizens had the right to protect their own bodies and not accept that unknown liquid.
Discontent became widespread, combined with housing problems and the high cost of living, resulting in the Mandatory Vaccine Revolt.
Between November 10 and 16, 1904, the working classes of Rio de Janeiro took to the streets to confront Public Health agents and the police.
The center of Rio de Janeiro was transformed into a war zone with overturned trams, vandalized buildings and a lot of confusion on Avenida Central (current Avenida Rio Branco).
The popular revolt had the support of politicians and military personnel who tried to use the dissatisfied masses to unsuccessfully overthrow President Rodrigues Alves.
Eventually, the rebel movement was dominated by the government, which arrested and sent many leaders into exile (forced exile) in Acre. The Mandatory Vaccination Law was subsequently modified, making its use optional.
Fun Facts About the Vaccine Revolt
The Vaccine Revolt inspired soap operas, miniseries and even an opera. The work ” The Scientist “, by Brazilian conductor Sílvio Barbato, tells the life story of Oswaldo Cruz and dedicates an entire scene to the event.
