|
|
|
|
|
|
What
is the World Doing?
In May 1988, at its annual meeting in Geneva, the World Health Assembly, the governing body of the World Health Organization (WHO), resolved to eradicate polio from the world by the year 2005. The global eradication of
polio involves both halting the incidence of the disease and the worldwide
eradication of the virus that causes it Poliovirus.
Rationale for Polio Eradication Polio is one of only a limited number of diseases (others include measles and guinea worm disease) that can be eradicated. Polio can be eradicated because: 1. Polio only affects humans,
and there is no animal reservoir. The polio eradication strategy is based on the premise that poliovirus will die out if it is deprived of its human host through immunization. The strategy is similar to that used for smallpox eradication in 1977; smallpox is the only disease so far to have been eradicated. Other diseases can be controlled
through immunization, but never eradicated. For example, in the case of
tetanus, the bacterium that causes the disease (Clostridium tetani) is
widespread in the environment and can survive independently from a human
host. A Four-Pronged Strategy A strategy developed by WHO and its partners to eradicate polio consists of:
(Text
and Photos Courtesy of the World
Health Organization)
| What the World is Doing | What You Can Do | | Photo Gallery | Audio/Video Library | | Links | Contact | | Home | Top | |
