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. 2000 Oct;90(10):1515–1520. doi: 10.2105/ajph.90.10.1515

When is a disease eradicable? 100 years of lessons learned.

B Aylward 1, K A Hennessey 1, N Zagaria 1, J M Olivé 1, S Cochi 1
PMCID: PMC1446384  PMID: 11029980

Abstract

Since the 1915 launch of the first international eradication initiative targeting a human pathogen, much has been learned about the determinants of eradicability of an organism. The authors outline the first 4 eradication efforts, summarizing the lessons learned in terms of the 3 types of criteria for disease eradication programs: (1) biological and technical feasibility, (2) costs and benefits, and (3) societal and political considerations.

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Selected References

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