A candidate disease is being assessed for feasibility of global eradication. Which biological feature is considered an ESSENTIAL prerequisite for eradication?

• A Availability of effective curative drug therapy for infected individuals
• B Short incubation period of the disease
• C High case fatality rate that motivates political commitment
• D Absence of a non-human reservoir and ease of identifying infected individuals ✓

Explanation

For eradication, humans must be the sole reservoir, since an animal reservoir makes permanent interruption impossible regardless of vaccination coverage. Cases must be readily recognisable for surveillance. Smallpox satisfied these criteria; malaria fails partly because of the human-plus-mosquito cycle complexity, though its reservoir is human, relapse and asymptomatic carriage hamper case identification. Effective treatment is useful for control but is not a prerequisite for eradication, which relies on interrupting transmission.

Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

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