Sutton Brett, Canyon Deon
Department of Health and Human Services, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Office of Public Health Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
PLoS Curr. 2015 Aug 31;7:ecurrents.outbreaks.16e2349da74ec9bdfe26cc6598bee881. doi: 10.1371/currents.outbreaks.16e2349da74ec9bdfe26cc6598bee881.
The eradication of a human infectious disease is a major challenge and, if achieved, represents a enormous achievement. This article explores the long and difficult journey towards eradication for polio and guinea worm.
The authors reviewed the programmatic approaches taken in the eradication strategies for these two diseases and the unique socio-political contexts in which these strategies are couched. The epidemiology of the last 15 years is compared and contrasted. The specific challenges for both programs are outlined and some key elements for success are highlighted.
The success of these eradication programs is contingent upon many factors. Nothing is assured, and progress remains fragile and vulnerable to setbacks. Security must be ensured in guinea worm transmission areas in Africa and polio transmission areas in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Technical solutions alone cannot guarantee eradication. National leadership and continued international focus and support are necessary, today more than ever. The legacy of success would be extraordinary. It would reverberate to future generations in the same way that the eradication of smallpox does for this generation.
根除人类传染病是一项重大挑战，若能实现，则是一项巨大成就。本文探讨了脊髓灰质炎和麦地那龙线虫走向根除的漫长而艰难的历程。
作者回顾了这两种疾病根除策略中所采用的规划方法以及这些策略所处的独特社会政治背景。对过去15年的流行病学情况进行了比较和对比。概述了这两个项目面临的具体挑战，并强调了一些成功的关键要素。
这些根除项目的成功取决于许多因素。没有什么是确定无疑的，进展仍然脆弱，容易受挫。必须确保非洲麦地那龙线虫传播地区以及巴基斯坦和阿富汗脊髓灰质炎传播地区的安全。仅靠技术解决方案无法保证根除。国家领导以及持续的国际关注和支持如今比以往任何时候都更为必要。成功的遗产将是非同寻常的。它将以与根除天花对这一代人产生的影响相同的方式在后代中产生回响。
