A child suffering from smallpox. In 1980, the World Health Organization announced the global<unk>  of smallpox. It is the only human<unk> to be eradicated worldwide. Video recording of a set of presentations given in 2010 about humanity's efforts towards malaria<unk> <unk>  is the reduction of an<unk> <unk> s prevalence in the global host population to zero. Two<unk><unk>  have successfully been eradicated: smallpox in humans and rinderpest in ruminants. There are four ongoing programs, targeting the human<unk>  poliomyelitis (polio), yaws, dracunculiasis (Guinea worm), and malaria. Five more<unk><unk>  have been identified as potentially eradicable with current technology by the Carter Center International Task Force for<unk> unk> —measles, mumps, rubella, lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) and cysticercosis (pork tapeworm). The concept of<unk> unk>  is sometimes confused with<unk> elimination, which is the reduction of an<unk> <unk> s prevalence in a regional population to zero, or the reduction of the global prevalence to a negligible amount. Further confusion arises from the use of the term<unk> ' to refer to the total removal of a given pathogen from an individual (also known as clearance of an infection), particularly in the context of HIV and certain other viruses where such cures are sought. The targeting of<unk><unk>  for<unk>  is based on narrow criteria, as both biological and technical features determine whether a pathogenic organism is (at least potentially) eradicable. The targeted pathogen must not have a significant non-human (or non-human-dependent) reservoir (or, in the case of animal<unk> , the infection reservoir must be an easily identifiable species, as in the case of rinderpest). This requires sufficient understanding of the life cycle and transmission of the pathogen. An efficient and practical intervention (such as a vaccine or antibiotic) must be available to interrupt transmission. Studies of measles in the pre-vaccination era led to the concept of the critical community size, the minimal size of the population below which a pathogen ceases to circulate. The use of vaccination programs before the introduction of an<unk>  campaign can reduce the susceptible population. The<unk> to be eradicated should be clearly identifiable, and an accurate diagnostic tool should exist. Economic considerations, as well as societal and political support and commitment, are other crucial factors that determine<unk>  feasibility.
Eradication of infectious diseases
Drug detoxification
Cancer immunoprevention
Mosquito control
Heavy metal detoxification
Virus inactivation
Injury prevention
Artificial immune system