Learning from smallpox: How to eradicate a disease - Julie Garon and Walter A. Orenstein
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In 1988, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution for the worldwide eradication of poliomyelitis. Since the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, only three countries remain that have never interrupted transmission of polio - Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Two different vaccines, oral polio vaccine (OPV) and inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) have been instrumental in achieving a 99% reduction in polio cases worldwide. The end stages of eradication will involve a globally coordinated effort involving these two vaccines to that ensure all polioviruses are permanently eradicated. A self-directed, animated presentation of this process can be viewed here.
Visit the World Health Organization (WHO) website and find out more about Guinea Worm disease. More information about the Guinea Worm Eradication Program can be found here. How many cases of Guinea Worm disease were there in 2014? Download the Guinea worm: Countdown to Zero App and follow along.

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