A WHO Success Story

Source: "Syphilis: Montezuma's revenge," The Economist, January 17th 2008.

I quote:

During the 1950s and 1960s, the World Health Organisation undertook a huge eradication campaign in which more than 300m people in Africa, South America, South East Asia, the South Pacific islands and the Middle East were examined—and tens of millions were treated with penicillin.

Reducing the burden of disease by 95% was good for patients, but not so good for paleopathologists.

Comment: One of my former bosses, Bob DiCaires, was involved in the Yaws campaign in Haiti. He said the campaign appeared magical to the people of that country. People were hidden in their homes when they were affected by the disease, essentially ending their lives. A single shot of penicillin effected a complete cure. After the campaign, the population estimates for the country had to be modified, as a million people (perhaps one-fifth of the total population) emerged from hiding to resume normal lives. JAD