Lessons from the eradication campaigns

Of seven global eradication programs this century, only two have relied pri marily on vaccines for control measures - those against smallpox and poliom yelitis. Smallpox is history and polio could possibly achieve a similar sta tus within the next decade. The hallmarks of these successful programs were surveillance and community outreach and involvement. However, a research a genda, so crucial to smallpox eradication, has largely been ignored or dism issed by polio program managers. This could prove to be a serious, even fat al error. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.