In early March 1967, doctors in Dubai's Maktoum Hospital admitted an Indian man whose undiagnosed rash was swiftly recognised as a case of smallpox.
A few days later a second Indian male began to show the same symptoms. Both men had arrived some days earlier at Ras Al Khaimah on a dhow from Bombay (now Mumbai), along with nearly 50 other passengers.
The smallpox outbreak, which eventually reached 11 cases and caused two deaths, both children, put great strain on the city's health resources.
Maktoum Hospital, shown in this photograph from the year of the outbreak, had been opened in 1951, but by 1967 the city still had less than 75 beds.
Smallpox had long been a scourge of the region. An outbreak in Bur Dubai in 1841 led to the development of Deira as families fled across the Creek.
The 1967 outbreak was swiftly contained thanks to a mass civilian vaccination programme and an effective system of quarantine.
Three years later a more serious outbreak. again brought in from South Asia, spread from Dubai to Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, this time causing 11 deaths.
It was the last gasp of the disease, though. The UAE has been smallpox free ever since, with the disease officially declared eradicated worldwide on May 8, 1980.
Time Frame is a series that opens a window into the nation's past. Readers are invited to make contributions to yourpics@thenational.ae
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Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
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Padmaavat
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Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5