Disease Eradication

Disease eradication is defined as the permanent reduction of disease incidence to zero, globally, through deliberate efforts. On eradication of a disease, no disease-related morbidity or mortality can ever occur again. Disease eradication and disease elimination are not synonymous. In disease elimination, incidence of a disease is reduced to zero within a specific geographic area. Continued preventive measures are required in a state of disease elimination since the disease may still arise (i.e., importation of a communicable [Page 280]disease across country borders), whereas intervention is no longer required on eradication. Eradication is different from extinction, which occurs when the etiologic agent no longer exists in nature or in a laboratory. Smallpox is the only disease to date that has been eradicated.