Dr. D. A. Henderson, a leader in the smallpox vaccination campaign, called disease eradication "a siren song."

Each candidate for disease eradication poses different challenges.

Others opposed to the cull argue that for economic reasons the government have chosen the most inhumane approach to disease eradication.

Get Earth doctors trained fast in disease eradication.

Brendan Smith, Ireland's then Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, said the elimination of brucellosis was "a landmark in the history of disease eradication in Ireland".

Above all, it neglected the problem of fragile societies, putting the cart of poverty reduction, disease eradication and the like before the horse of good governance.

Today, the high fevers, deep rashes and oozing pustules that characterize smallpox are gone - a feat of disease eradication so far unequaled in the history of public health.

Biosecurity on farms needs to be improved and financially supported; disease eradication and surveillance need to be stepped up; disease awareness and emergency preparedness need to be reinforced.

We still have some criticisms, particularly in the area of public funding, which must be stepped up to avoid the establishment of private insurance to remedy losses due to disease eradication.

In years past, aid has proved extraordinarily effective on issues like disease eradication (which makes the malaria initiative, for example, so important); the same cannot be said for promoting growth.