The Death of a Disease : : A History of the Eradication of Poliomyelitis / / ed. by Mary Shaffer, Bernard Seytre.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Rutgers University Press Backlist eBook-Package 2000-2013
• HerausgeberIn: Seytre, Bernard,; Shaffer, Mary,
• Place / Publishing House: New Brunswick, NJ : : Rutgers University Press, , [2005]; ©2005
• Year of Publication: 2005
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (176 p.)

In 1988, the World Health Organization launched a campaign for the global eradication of polio. Today, this goal is closer than ever. Fewer than 1,300 people were paralyzed from the disease in 2004, down from approximately 350,000 in 1988. In The Death of a Disease, science writers Bernard Seytre and Mary Shaffer tell the dramatic story of this crippling virus that has evoked terror among parents and struck down healthy children for centuries. Beginning in ancient Egypt, the narrative explores the earliest stages of research, describes the wayward paths taken by a long line of scientists-each of whom made a vital contribution to understanding this enigmatic virus-and traces the development of the Salk and Sabin vaccines. The book also tracks the contemporary polio story, detailing the remaining obstacles as well as the medical, governmental, and international health efforts that are currently being focused on developing countries such as India, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Niger. At a time when emerging diseases and the threat of bioterrorism are the focus of much media and public attention, this book tells the story of a crippling disease that is on the verge of disappearing. In the face of tremendous odds, the near-eradication of polio offers an inspiring story that is both encouraging and instructive to those at the center of the continued fight against communicable diseases.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- 1. The Last Victims -- 2. A Lifetime Burden -- 3. A Virus with a Long History -- 4. The People versus Polio -- 5. Freed from the Iron Lung -- 6. Coming Along at the Right Time -- 7. Behind the Scenes -- 8. The Largest Medical Experiment in History -- 9. The Race for an Oral Vaccine -- 10. Revolution in the Production of Vaccines -- 11. Polio -- 12. The End Game -- 13. The Challenge of Eradication -- Notes -- References -- Index -- About the Authors