Running Head: Eradicating Smallpox 1
Running Head: Eradicating Smallpox 2
Overview
Smallpox brings with it many effects that have negative impacts on the countries’ health sector and the entire economy. To begin with, because of the high death rate that is associated with the disease during its first emergence, most countries experienced a decrease in population with almost every country losing an enormous amount of working staff and potential human resources capital. The disease resulted in the death of royal family members in various countries, which caused conflicts and war. The smallpox infection in the late 18th century caused blindness in much of the country leading to an acute reduction of work force in those affected countries. Most countries’ health sectors were in jeopardy owing to the fact that it was a highly communicable disease. The smallpox infection created a risky environment everyone because one could contract the disease without their knowledge.
Define eradication, extinction, elimination and control
We can define control as the reduction of the disease infection rate, occurrence, morbidity, or death to a tolerable intensity, as determined by a given country. Elimination is the reduction of the disease prevalence to zero level in a particular region. Elimination needs ongoing public health measures in order to stop disease recurrence. Eradication is the decrease of disease occurrence to a zero level. At this stage, intervention efforts are no longer necessary. Lastly, extinction is the suppression of the disease-causing organisms and the obliteration of all laboratory segregates. Commitment to disease control, elimination, and eradication depend on the nature of the disease-causing organism and needs the political will and reserves to maintain gains once they have been attained (Mark & Henrik, 2009).
Running Head: Eradicating Smallpox 3
Describe the characteristics of smallpox that...