The Balmis Expedition from Spain to the New World in 1806, launched off the heels of Jenner's publication on vaccinia vaccine a few years previously, was likely the world's first eradication initiative.
The mission was to eradicate the deadly smallpox from the Americas and beyond.
That goal, over a century and half later conceptualized and implemented under the guidance of the World Health Organization (WHO), was eventually realized.
The core content of this textbook is designed to reflect the teaching elements of an intensive, one-week eradication course given first to graduate students at the School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University (JHU) in Baltimore, United States, during the summer of 2012.
The faculty of four consisted of the two editors of this textbook; Dr. Ciro de Quadros, former smallpox eradicator in Ethiopia and architect of the original polio eradication strategies; and Dr. D.A. Henderson, former head of the global smallpox eradication initiative, WHO.
All four of us spent a full week together lecturing and mentoring JHU graduate students.
In 2014, under the direction of Dr. Breman, the course was expanded and provided to graduate students at the Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University.
The materials in this textbook reflect the discussions in that course, especially with regards to what the co-editors believe to be the most practical, field relevant experiences and definitions. Given the rapidly changing medical and development world, this textbook highlights essential issues for success, illustrated by disease-specific case studies.
Foreword Dr. Tedros A. Ghebreyesus Preface: Perspectives on the Principles and Practice of Disease Eradication Jon Kim Andrus, Joel G. Breman 1. Smallpox Eradication: Triumph of Science and Management Joel G. Breman, William H. Foege, Leigh A. Henderson, Rosamund F. Lewis, Anne W. Rimoin, Jean-Jacques Muyembe-Tamfun 2. Rinderpest: Successful Global Eradication of an Animal Virus Tannia Clark, Mallenshappa Rajasekhar 3. Towards the Eradication of Polio: Perspectives on the History, Strategies, and Recommendations for Success Jon Kim Andrus, Khusbu Patel, Prabha Raghavan, Sara Seper, Nevien Ismail, Sunil Bahl 4. Global Measles and Rubella Eradication: Status Quo at What Cost? Jon Kim Andrus, Eleanor Capozzi, Jessica Drew, Katie Kolar, Hayley Lipson, Sydney Nelson, Emma Robinson, Sudhir Khanal 5. Dracunculiasis (Guinea Worm Disease) Eradication Ernesto Ruiz-Tiben, Mark L. Eberhard, Sharon L. Roy 6. The elimination of Group A meningococcal meningitis from Sub-Saharan Africa after the introduction of a new Group A meningococcal conjugate vaccine F. Marc LaForce, Mamoudou Djingarey, Andre Bita, Suresh S. Jadhav, Prasad S. Kulkarni, Simonetta Viviani, Marie Pierre Presiosi 7. Disease Elimination - Successes and Challenges: examples from River Blindness, Lymphatic Filariasis and Trachoma David Molyneux, Agatha Aboe, Roland Bougma, Sunday Isiyaku, Iain Jones, Patrick Ndongmo, Joseph Oye, Sarah Bartlett, Finlay White, Phillip Downs, Simon Bush 8. Cholera Jacqueline Deen, John D. Clemens 9. Malaria elimination: principles and practice Kim A. Lindblade, Kamini Mendis, Blanca Escribano Ferrer, John Chimumbwa, Richard W. Steketee 10. HIV Principles and Elimination Efforts Jesse O'Shea, Pascale Wortley, Robert A. Bonacci 11. Controlling Pandemic COVID-19: Is Eradication Possible? David M. Morens, Gagandeep Kang 12. Global Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of Syphilis - the Power of Comprehensive, Integrated Antenatal Care Programming Lori M. Newman, Melanie M. Taylor, Morkor Newman Owiredu, Teodora Elvira C. Wi, Maeve B. Mello, Nathalie J. Broutet, Mary L. Kamb 13. Mpox Control and Prevention: Addressing new disease modalities and adapting control strategies in the face of an evolving disease Adva Gadoth, Megan Halbrook, Nicole A Hoff, Danae Witte, Didine Kaba, Emile Malembi, Robert Shongo, Placide Mbala Kingabeni, Joel G. Breman, Jean Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum, Anne W. Rimoin 14. Surveillance for eradication: turning surveillance upside down David L. Heymann, Rosanna Peeling 15. Cost-Benefit and Cost-Effectiveness Analyses: The Unique Challenge of Eradication Programs Leigh A. Henderson Acknowledgements Jon Kim Andrus, Joel G. Breman
Joel G. Breman, MD, DTPH, served as Senior Scientist Emeritus at Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, and Professorial Lecturer, Epidemiology at Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University until his passing in April 2024. Dr. Breman was the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) principal advisor to the Guinean Smallpox Eradication-Measles Control Program from 1967-1969. From 1972-1976 he was Chief of the Epidemiology Section for the Organisation de Coordination et de Coopération pour la lutte contre le Grandes Endémies (OCCGE), based in Burkina Faso. Dr. Breman was educated at the University of California, Los Angeles; Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California (USC); and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He trained in internal medicine at the USC-Los Angeles County Medical Center, in infectious diseases at the Channing Laboratory, Boston City Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and in epidemiology at the CDC, where he was an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer. Dr Breman was President of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from 2019 to 2020. Jon Kim Andrus, MD, FAAFP, is Professor of Global Health at George Washington University's Department of Global Health in the Milken Institute of Public Health. Dr. Andrus leads efforts to advocate for the evidence-based use of vaccines in developing countries. Dr. Andrus also serves as Adjunct Professor and Director of the Division of Vaccines and Immunization of the University of Colorado's Center for Global Health.
