Recommendations of the International Task Force for Disease Eradication

This report summarizes the conclusions of the International Task Force for Disease Eradication (ITFDE), a group of scientists who were convened by a secretariat at the Carter Center of Emory University six times during 1989-1992. The purpose of the ITFDE was to establish criteria and apply them systematically to evaluate the potential eradicability of other diseases in the aftermath of the Smallpox Eradication Program. The ITFDE defined eradication as "reduction of the worldwide incidence of a disease to zero as a result of deliberate efforts, obviating the necessity for further control measures." The names of the members of the ITFDE, the criteria they developed and used, and summaries of the papers that were presented to the ITFDE by various experts are included in this report, as well as a brief history of the concept of disease eradication since the late 19th century. The ITFDE considered more than 90 diseases and reviewed 30 of these in depth, including one noninfectious disease. It concluded that six diseases--dracunculiasis, poliomyelitis, mumps, rubella, lymphatic filariasis, and cysticercosis--could probably be eradicated by using current technology. It also concluded that manifestations of seven other diseases could be "eliminated," and it noted critical research needs that, if realized, might permit other diseases to be eradicated eventually. The successful eradication of smallpox in 1977 and the ongoing campaigns to eradicate dracunculiasis by 1995 and poliomyelitis by 2000 should ensure that eradication of selected diseases will continue to be used as a powerful tool of international public health.