Chapter 6 : Epilogue: Voices from the Eradication Campaigns

Abstract:

Three global campaigns—the races to eradicate malaria, smallpox, and polio—tell the story of disease eradication and herald its future. Each campaign was interesting in its own right, but more importantly, each shaped the international programs that will follow in our race to save the last child. This chapter presents brief accounts from people involved in the various eradication campaigns discussed in the book. Malaria Warriors, Christopher Plowe and Abdoulaye Djimde, continue their trips to Mali where Djimde is studying chloroquine resistance and Plowe is overseeing studies that will prepare their research site in Bandiagara for a future vaccine trial. Donald Ainslie Henderson, a long-standing proponent of public health and an expert in viral vaccines, lead the smallpox eradication program more by serendipity than by design. His experiences are presented. The chapter also relates the experiences of many others including William Foege, Sharon Bloom, Phillip Spradling, Kathy Kohler, Alice Pope, and Virginia Swezy. The chapter concludes with a brief on World Health Organization (WHO).