Eradication

Eradication is the reduction of an infectious disease's prevalence in the global host population to zero. It is sometimes confused with elimination, which describes either the reduction of an infectious disease's prevalence in a regional population to zero, or the reduction of the global prevalence to a negligible amount. Eradication represents an absolute level in the progression of disease control efforts.

Definition

The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified three levels of disease control: control, elimination and eradication. Control involves a reduction in the number of cases of a disease to a level that is deemed acceptable by the society. Elimination is the reduction of cases in a defined geographical area to zero. Eradication is the permanent reduction of cases to zero worldwide.

History

The concept of disease eradication has been an integral part of public health efforts for many years. The first disease to be targeted for eradication was smallpox. The global smallpox eradication campaign was launched by the WHO in 1967 and the last known natural case was in Somalia in 1977.

Current Eradication Efforts

Currently, the WHO has targeted several diseases for eradication including polio, guinea worm disease, and yaws. These efforts are ongoing and have met with varying degrees of success.

Challenges

Eradication efforts face many challenges including logistical difficulties, lack of political will, and the biological characteristics of the disease itself. For example, diseases that have a non-human reservoir in which they can survive are not eradicable.

See Also

• Public Health
• Infectious Disease
• World Health Organization

Eradication Resources
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