So far, only two diseases have been successfully eradicated—one specifically affecting humans (smallpox) and one affecting cattle (rinderpest).
The last known natural case was in Somalia in 1977. In 1980 WHO declared smallpox eradicated – the only infectious disease to achieve this distinction. This remains among the most notable and profound public health successes in history.
Disease eradication is an ongoing process
So far, the world has eradicated two diseases — smallpox and rinderpest.
To date, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared only 2 diseases officially eradicated: smallpox caused by variola virus (VARV) and rinderpest caused by the rinderpest virus (RPV).
Vaccination has made an enormous contribution to global health. Two major infections, smallpox and rinderpest, have been eradicated.
dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. advanced lung, heart, kidney and liver disease. stroke and other neurological diseases, including motor neurone disease and multiple sclerosis. Huntington's disease.
Scarlet fever, tuberculosis, mumps, measles: You may think these are deadly diseases of the past, wiped out with vaccines and antibiotics. The truth is that these diseases are still infecting people worldwide, and some have made resurgences in the U.S. Stay healthy and safe with the precautions outlined here.
1. The Black Death: Bubonic Plague. The Black Death ravaged most of Europe and the Mediterranean from 1346 until 1353. Over 50 million people died, more than 60% of Europe's entire population at the time.
Of great importance to public and child health are the vaccines against the so-called six killer diseases of childhood-measles, pertussis, diphtheria, tetanus, tuberculosis and poliomyelitis.
Some diseases can be cured. Others, like hepatitis B, have no cure. The person will always have the condition, but medical treatments can help to manage the disease. Medical professionals use medicine, therapy, surgery, and other treatments to help lessen the symptoms and effects of a disease.
There is no cure for paralytic polio and no specific treatment. Physical or occupational therapy can help with arm or leg weakness caused by polio and might improve long-term outcomes, especially if implemented early in the course of illness.
Most diseases and conditions aren't curable. Still, this doesn't mean treatments can't provide good health and the peace of mind that goes along with them.
If you have already had monkeypox, you will not usually get it a second time. We do not yet know for sure whether this is also the case after vaccination. You may still develop a skin rash (including blisters) from direct skin contact with someone who has monkeypox, and those blisters are contagious.
Smallpox no longer exists in humans or spreads naturally. There haven't been any cases of smallpox in the last 45 years. Two laboratories (one in the U.S. and one in Russia) have stocks of the virus that causes smallpox for research purposes only.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. This is the case in the U.S. and worldwide. More than half of all people who die due to heart disease are men.
Rabies. Rabies, one of the oldest known infectious diseases, is nearly 100% fatal and continues to cause tens of thousands of human deaths globally (1).
A fatal accident or illness causes someone's death.
Today, the COVID-19 pandemic is frequently compared with the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919. The destruction caused by that pandemic a century ago may sound familiar.
Across Earth's history, our planet has been home to an estimated 109 billion human beings. And according to another oft-repeated factoid, half of all the people who have ever existed were killed by malaria, the worst mosquito-borne illness.
Presently, human plague infections continue to occur in rural areas in the western United States, but significantly more cases occur in parts of Africa and Asia. Answers for clinicians, public health officials, and veterinarians...
By 2030: Cancer may overtake heart disease as the #1 cause of death, killing 640,000 people each year. The number of hepatitis C-related deaths may grow by as much as 3 times. Alzheimer's disease may become the 4th leading cause of death, killing over 150,000 people a year.
Progeria (pro-JEER-e-uh), also known as Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, is an extremely rare, progressive genetic disorder. It causes children to age rapidly, starting in their first two years of life. Children with progeria generally appear healthy at birth.
The oldest contagious disease known to affect humans is tuberculosis, a respiratory disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacterium is thought to have existed in something similar to its modern form for more than 70,000 years, and has been infecting humans since early prehistory.