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Week 8: Eradication

Seminar Questions

  • What considerations influence decision to attempt to eradicate a disease?
  • To what extend have humanitarians and global health experts learned from past disease eradication attempts?
  • Is disease eradication an effective means of improving health in Africa?
  • What kinds of obstacles have disease eradication efforts faced? How have African populations responded to eradication efforts?

Required Reading

  • William Schneider, 'The Long History of Smallpox Eradication: Lessons for Global Healh in Africa', in J. Webb and T. Giles-Vernick, Global Health in Africa, Ch. 1, pg. 25-41. [e-book]
  • Elisha Renne, The Politics of Polio in Northern Nigeria (2010), Ch. 3: ‘Politics and Polio in Nigeria’, pp.33-50. [e-book]
  • Nancy Leys Stepan, Eradication: Ridding the World of Disease Forever? (2011), Ch. 7, pg. 224-261. [Talis Aspire]

Further Reading

  • Elisha Renne, The Politics of Polio in Northern Nigeria (2010).
  • Nancy Leys Stepan, Eradication: Ridding the World of Disease Forever? (2011).
  • Randall Packard, The Making of a Tropical Disease: A Short History of Malaria (2007)