Guide To Almost Eradicated And Entirely Eradicated Infectious Diseases

The eradication of infectious diseases is a goal for many medical researchers. To determine whether a particular disease could potentially be eradicated, scientists note the disease must meet certain criteria. First, the disease needs to be easy to diagnose, and it must not have an animal host since these hosts would need to become extinct for the disease to be successfully eradicated. In addition, the disease cannot lie dormant within a patient for many years, and it needs to follow a cyclic pattern of rise and decline that creates natural immunity in individuals who have survived the disease. Any vaccines or treatments must be cost-effective and easily administered, and the disease must attract the attention of both public health and government officials.

The diseases described below include those that have been eradicated and those scientists believe could likely be eradicated in the future.

Smallpox

With the last confirmed case of smallpox occurring in 1977, the disease was officially certified as eradicated in 1980. The successful worldwide eradication of smallpox was attributed to an effective global vaccination campaign. The smallpox vaccine, the world's first inoculation, was created by Edward Jenner in 1796. While military members are still routinely vaccinated for this disease, vaccination for other individuals ceased after smallpox was eradicated. Samples of the virus are stored for research purposes. Patients infected with smallpox usually survived, but they were often left with deep scarring that could be disfiguring. After an incubation period of up to seventeen days, patients with smallpox would first experience fever, severe back pain, headaches, and extreme fatigue. As the virus progressed, a rash would appear on the patient's face and arms before spreading to their torso. The spots frequently turned into pus-filled blisters that scabbed over and left pitted scars. In addition to these severe scars, blindness was a possible complication of smallpox.

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Guinea Worm Disease

Also known as dracunculiasis, Guinea worm disease is a parasitic infection caused by Dracunculus medinensis. Infection occurs when an individual ingests water containing Guinea worm larvae. Patients typically show no symptoms for up to a year after infection. During this time, the worm larvae mature inside the patient's body. Eventually, a painful blister forms, typically on the foot or leg. This blister bursts a few days or weeks later, and the mature female worm emerges from the skin. To relieve the pain of the blister, patients often try to immerse the leg or foot in water. This releases worms into the water supply, and they can then infect others. Individuals with Guinea worm disease may have a fever, vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea. There are no medications or vaccines that can treat or prevent Guinea worm disease, and patients may be able to have the worms surgically removed before a blister develops. Efforts to eradicate this disease are ongoing, and there were only twenty-eight cases of the illness in 2018.

Learn about where polio ranks on this list next.

Polio

Polio is a viral illness that can cause nerve damage and lifelong paralysis. It typically affects children under five years old. While the last known case of polio in the United States occurred in 1979, ninety-six cases were reported in 2017, and it is still considered a threat in countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria. Symptoms associated with the severe form of polio that may cause paralysis include loss of reflexes, muscle pain and weakness, and floppy limbs. Patients with a less severe form of polio that does not cause paralysis may still have a fever, back and neck pain, headaches, vomiting, and stiffness in the arms and legs. Today, paralysis occurs in an estimated one in every two hundred cases of polio, and the illness has a ten percent mortality rate. Both oral and injected vaccines are available to prevent polio, and experts believe polio is currently almost ninety-nine percent eradicated.

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Malaria

Malaria is a disease transmitted by mosquitoes. It is commonly found in tropical and sub-tropical climates such as sub-Saharan Africa and the Asian subcontinent. The disease is also prevalent in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and New Guinea. Malaria can cause fatigue, muscle pain, headache, fever, and chills. Patients may also develop a cough, and chest and abdominal pain are frequently reported. Although there is currently no vaccine to prevent malaria, health organizations recommend individuals traveling to places where malaria is endemic to consider taking preventative medication. Mefloquine, primaquine phosphate, and quinine sulfate with doxycycline are some of the medications that can be used to prevent malaria. The same medications are routinely used to treat the condition. The majority of malaria fatalities occur in sub-Saharan Africa, and patients under five years old have the highest mortality rate from this disease. Efforts to eradicate malaria were originally started in 1955, and many countries have now come close to eliminating it.

Understand how Yaws fares on this list next.

Yaws

Yaws is a type of chronic bacterial infection that frequently impacts children living in tropical areas. The majority of cases are diagnosed in patients between six to ten years old. The disease develops as a result of infection with a subspecies of the Treponema pallidum bacterium, and it is transmitted through skin contact. Skin lesions are a primary symptom of yaws, and the condition generally begins with a single sore that appears similar to a berry. The sores gradually spread, and yaws has the potential to impact bones and cartilage as well. Some patients with the condition may experience swollen lymph nodes, bone pain, and scarring. Polymerase chain reaction tests can diagnose the illness, and it can be successfully treated with a single dose of oral azithromycin, an antibiotic. A seven-day course of oral doxycycline is used for patients allergic to azithromycin, and a single injection of benzathine penicillin can cure yaws, too. Early detection and treatment of yaw can enable patients to avoid its disfiguring effects. Eradication campaigns are underway.