Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever? Free

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The reader should be forewarned, however: This is not a technical exposition of the relative merits of one approach to health versus another and when and how approaches can be complementarybased upon a nuanced appreciation for the particular attributes of the agent, the technology available for dealing with it, the economic trade-offs, and the political, Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever?, and cultural milieus in which programs are forced to operate. Instead, it is a history, as the author sees it quite broadlyof the idea of eradicationas exemplified by past public health initiatives against yellow fever, yaws, malaria, and smallpox, and currently polio, Guinea worm, and malaria again. Stepan attempts to personalize the issues by referencing the arguments and perspectives through the singular lens of one towering figure, Fred Soper. Some might find this approach helpful; I found it distracting. What she makes crystal clear is the idiosyncratic manner in which choices are seemingly made. A number of often overlooked arguments Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever? and against eradication, as an ideaare raised in the book. For example, when one country or region eradicates an infectious disease, it creates a moral imperative for adjacent countries to do the same or otherwise imperil the hard-won accomplishments of its neighbor. That eradication is the ultimate antithesis of health disparities, since everyone, everywhere, must be made free of the disease. Equally interesting is the inclusion of historical and political events that have directly or indirectly influenced such decisions: World War II, colonial and postcolonial political persuasions, and the Cold War. Model pilot programs often appear to be successful, while the reality, in the poor, rural countryside, is all too frequently poorly trained and supervised health workers who are only occasionally at their posts, with little in the way of vital drugs and equipment. Some people are born or destined to be unhealthy; the only surety in life is death. These are separate issues, not necessarily in competition. Simpler, more effective technology can make health care less costly and more practical. Why argue about the merits of searching for a vaccine for malaria or human immunodeficiency virus? The implementation of primary health care, as with clean water and better sanitation, is clearly important but also immensely costly; much of the funding, and all of the political commitment, must come from the countries themselves, not from donor agencies and philanthropies. For those interested in the broad historical sweep of selectively chosen individuals, arguments, political conditions, and initiatives related to the Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever? of eradication, this is a welcome and highly readable volume. Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Sign In or Create an Account. Joongbu University. Sign In. Advanced Search. Search Menu. Article Navigation. Close mobile search navigation Article Navigation. Volume Article Contents. Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever? Alfred Sommer Alfred Sommer. Oxford Academic. Google Scholar. Select Format Select format. Permissions Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever? Permissions. Conflict of interest: none declared. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals. Issue Section:. Download all slides. View Metrics. Email alerts Article activity alert. Advance article alerts. New issue Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever?. Receive exclusive offers and updates from Oxford Academic. Related articles in Google Scholar. Citing articles via Google Scholar. Looking for your next opportunity? Full-Time Interventional Physiatrist. Medical Director of Infectious Disease. View all jobs. Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever? by Nancy Leys Stepan

Cite This Article. Public health, like any dynamic field filled with social reformers, scientists, and passionate believers, generates conflicting views, approaches, and goals. Thus, on domestic and global fronts, public health advocates compete for priority and resources for vertical single-disease versus horizontal infrastructure or systems programs; infectious diseases versus noncommunicable diseases; targeting diseases to improve health versus emphasizing the role of economic development or social determinants; and primary health care versus eradicating diseases. Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever? Particular emphasis is given to a major 20th century public health leader and proponent of disease eradication, Fred Lowe Soper, and his role with the Rockefeller Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever?, his successful efforts in Brazil and other countries, and his global influence as director of the Pan American Health Organization. He targeted yellow fever and malaria, primarily through vector control mosquito eradicationand became a champion for use of DDT. Stepan uses the colorful and compelling personality and strengths of Soper, the political complexities of international work, and the unforeseen conflict of insecticidal vector control with the advent of environmentalism to illustrate the considerable hurdles involved in any program of disease eradication, no matter how initially successful and promising. She continues with detailed examples of the successful program of smallpox eradication. After a description of the guinea worm eradication program, which has made extraordinary progress, the book seems to end a bit abruptly. The book relies for information and opinion on distinguished Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever? in eradication efforts, but almost all of them are American or live in the United States. Are European views different? What about having more insights from public health figures in the involved nations in Africa, southern Asia, and South America? The result feels somewhat parochial and incomplete. Nevertheless, this book provides an interesting and useful perspective on a major public health movement and is suitable for students beginning their public health studies as well as for their professors of epidemiology and public policy. Veterans of eradication efforts will enjoy reading it. Those currently involved in eradication campaigns and those considering joining them would be wise to read this book and absorb its lessons. Table of Contents — Volume 18, Number 7—July Please use the form below to submit correspondence to the authors or contact them at the following address:. Jeffrey P. Highlight and copy the desired format. Section Navigation. On This Page. Books and Media Cite This Article. Article Metrics. Related Articles. Please use the form below to Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever? correspondence to the authors or contact them at the following address: Jeffrey P. Comments character s remaining. Comment submitted successfully, thank you for your feedback. Page created: June 08, The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above. Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving the CDC website. Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website. You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link. Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever? is not responsible for Section compliance accessibility on other federal or private website. Cancel Continue. Article Citations. Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever?. Emerg Infect Dis. Emerging Infectious Diseases. APA Koplan, J. Emerging Infectious Diseases18 7 Koplan JP. Koplan, J. BN No Results Page | Barnes & Noble®

Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Preview — Eradication by Nancy Leys Stepan. Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever? How shall we improve human health? One answer is: by eradication. The Gates Foundation announced in that their goal is malaria eradication; another of their priorities is polio eradication. Eradication means the complete elimination of a disease through deliberate human intervention. It stands for an absolute in public health. This book by the award-winning historian o How shall we improve human health? This book by the award-winning historian of medicine Nancy Leys Stepan is an accessible, beautifully written, and deeply researched examination of one of the most controversial issues in public health today. The eradication of disease might seem like an absolute good. But critics of eradication argue that the huge resources needed to achieve eradication could be better allocated toward developing primary health services and general improvement in health. This book aims to look at the benefits and drawbacks of single-minded efforts to Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever? the world of particular diseases, one at a time. The sweep of the book is impressive, from the origins of the idea of complete eradication in the early twentieth century until the present-day campaigns against polio, Guinea worm disease, and now malaria. The author places eradication's story in its many contexts, from imperialism, changing notions of public health, the history of medicine and its technologies, the development of international health agencies such as the World Health Organization, and the impact of the Cold War on the shift of attention to disease in developing countries. At the center of this narrative is Dr. Fred Lowe Sopera U. His campaigns to eradicate hookworm disease, yaws, yellow fever, malaria, and smallpox are treated in compelling detail, as are the roles of international health agencies such as the Rockefeller Foundation and the World Health Organization. Throughout the book Stepan draws attention to the way that the ideal of eradication has repeatedly arisen, phoenix-like, from its setbacks. In a powerful conclusion, she uses the example of the current campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease to argue that, today, under the right circumstances, eradication and primary health care need not be in conflict, as they were in the past, but can form mutually reinforcing policies to improve the health and well-being of populations, especially the poorest and most disease-burdened populations of the world. Get A Copy. Hardcoverpages. More Details Other Editions 4. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Eradicationplease sign up. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Jan 01, Maxine rated it it was amazing. The last case of Small Pox worldwide was reported in Somalia in Thus, it became the Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever? and, to date, the only disease to be successfully eradicated as defined by Dr Fred Soper ie. It is not, however, the only, or even the first or most costly, attempt at eradication. Malaria, Yellow Fever, Polio and Guinea Worm have all been targeted at various times and with varying degrees of success. This book outlines the history of eradication, the different methods used and the different countries they were used in and why, with the exception of Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever? Pox, they have, so far, failed. The author discusses the socio-economic, biological, and political aspects of each attempt. She also discusses whether eradication is an achievable or even desirable goal and looks at other, less absolute, approaches to disease control. This book is a fascinating look at the history of disease eradication. Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever? is well-written and well- researched. It is aimed at the general reader as well as historians and those in the field of medicine. As one of those general readers, I can't say that this is an easy read - there are no 'human interest' stories interspersed among the facts as in other books of this type - but this is definitely a book worth reading on one of the most important issues facing us today - the state of the world's health. View 2 comments. Jan 06, Ariel rated it really liked it Shelves: library. You're going to learn a lot about mosquitoes. Nov 05, Simon Howard rated it really liked it. Nancy Leys Stepan gives a comprehensive history of work to eradicate various infectious diseases, with a unifying thread of the work of Fred Lowe Soper. There was a huge amount in here which was Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever? to me, and it was thoroughly readable for a general audience. Stepan gives a great and sobering illustration of how many attempts at disease eradication have failed for essentially the same reasons. I Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever? thought that she gave a balanced account of the dangers of eradication programmes, and in parti Nancy Leys Stepan gives a comprehensive history of work to eradicate various infectious diseases, with a unifying thread of the work of Fred Lowe Soper. I also thought that she gave a balanced account of the dangers of eradication programmes, and in particular the diversion of resources from projects which might have a greater impact on the health of populations. That said, Stepan sometimes got a little bit stuck in the fine details of some of her examples Essentially, Stepan made me think much more deeply than I have previously about attempts at disease eradication. Her thesis, as stated in the book, is that "eradication campaigns should be exceptional and rare" - and I was fully convinced by her arguments. As a sort of public note to self - I'm doing some work around TB control in low incidence areas at the moment, and was struck by this paragraph on page which is relevant: "The phrase, 'the realm of the final inch' was appropriated and modified by Henderson from the Russian Alexandr Solzhenitzyn's novel, 'First Circle' ; Henderson used it to indicate the crucial moment that Soper had always singled out in his discussions, when a disease or a vector targeted for eradication has almost disappeared; at this point, the costs per case detected and eliminated go up, just as the visibility of the disease practically disappears. Almost invariably, the urgency of the pursuit vanishes too, vigilance diminishes, controls peter out, and the disease on which so much time and effort has been expended eventually returns. Nov 24, John Howland rated it really liked it. An interesting look into global public heath's history with eradication of diseases. It is a technical read that can be a bit dry but is well researched and follows in a clear and logical manner. It is not common to read such a detailed chronicle about Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever? specialized field as medicine, particularly epidemiology. The write is monotonous but the facts portrayed are well documented and are portrayed from a broad perspective that takes into account historical, political and economical factors. In this book there are no easy answers and probably no final conclusions, but there is a lot Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever? learn. However, this occasions together with the failures can give us insightful knowledge for an approach to public health that is inclusive, realistic and effective. Dec 07, Andy rated it liked it. The author chose to frame the book around the life and ideas of Dr. Fred Soper. This leads her to spend many pages on trivia that I found boring and irrelevant. This is a shame because disease reduction is an important topic and she has many good insights. I think though that I would recommend the books below for understanding how to fight "tropical" diseases or to get the story of the successful eradication experience. Dec 30, Raven rated it really liked it. Jan 28, Filipa rated it really liked it Shelves: collegedevelopmenthealthhistory-worldnonfictionpoliticstechnologyenglish. An interesting take, not only on the complicated history of eradication attempts but also on current challenges for eradication and other public health interventions. Melanie rated it really liked it Feb 24, Moses Song rated it Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever? was amazing Jun 14, Vikas Meka rated it liked it Apr 10, Anastasia rated it it was amazing Sep 15, Jeff Hall rated it liked it Jul 03, Tiffany Couch rated it liked it Feb 08, Erin rated it it was amazing Oct 08, Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever? Hugo Davies rated it liked it Jul 29, Aditya rated it it was amazing Aug 09, Leonard Bogdonoff rated it really liked it Jan 04, Evan Davison-Kotler rated it really liked it May 29, Leighanne Main rated it liked it Nov 28, Soumya Subramaniam rated it liked it May 02, Alex rated it it was amazing Jan 31,