Eradication : Ridding the World of Diseases Forever?

Description

The dream of a world completely free of disease may seem utopian. Yet eradication, used in its modern sense to mean the reduction of a disease to zero by means of purposeful public health interventions, has been pursued repeatedly. Campaigns against yellow fever, malaria, smallpox, and polio are among the largest, most costly programmes ever undertaken in international public health. Only one so far has been successful - against smallpox in 1980, though eradication campaigns against polio and Guinea Worm Disease are ongoing. Are such programmes, then, worthwhile? Does setting an absolute goal. Read more... Abstract: 'Eradication' is a history of the attempts to rid the world of diseases such as yellow fever, malaria, smallpox, and polio. Nancy Leys Stepan covers all the major eradication campaigns, from the early twentieth century to the present day. Read more... Content: Cover Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever? Imprint Page Contents Introduction 1. Eradication and Public Health 2. Imperial Origins 3. Paradoxes: The Rockefeller Era 4. Post-War: A Capacity for Fanaticism 5. The End of Malaria in the World? 6. The Last Inch: Smallpox Eradication 7. Controversies: Eradication Today References Select Bibliography Acknowledgements Photo Acknowledgements Index.