Africa officially declared free of wild polio today. An amazing achievement, hard-won. Now only Pakistan & Afganistan left. If we can kill it off there it will become the second disease after smallpox to have been eradicated #Polio #InfectiousDiseases
telegraph.co.uk/global-health/…
Many other infectious diseases could be targeted for eradication. I think I'm right in saying the three biggest killers remain TB, Malaria and HIV in that order.....
But the numbers - and quality life years gained - by eradicating less widespread viruses like polio remain immense. Look at this chart showing the fall in polio paralysis and think of the suffering alleviated ...
Trachoma is another terrifying but easily stopped disease we are well on the way to eradicating. It's the first infectious diseases I reported on from on the ground and I'll never forget it....
telegraph.co.uk/news/battle-to…
One last fact, which hopefully will resonate better post Covid, is the financial BENEFIT of fighting back infectious disease is immense. No investment gives greater returns. The global eradication of polio would save at least US$40–50 billion, for eg.
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