Sustaining communicable disease elimination efforts in the Americas in the wake of COVID-19

COVID-19 and other pandemics require a coherent response strategy

“…In practice, elimination definitions could use less stringent disease-specific criteria in some instances, such as with measles. 6 Elimination strategies are widely used for a range of diseases, including poliomyelitis, measles, rubella, filariasis, and dracunculiasis. 6 , 7 As COVID-19 has shown, an elimination strategy can also be highly effective against a pandemic disease.…”

“… 6 Elimination strategies are widely used for a range of diseases, including poliomyelitis, measles, rubella, filariasis, and dracunculiasis. 6 , 7 As COVID-19 has shown, an elimination strategy can also be highly effective against a pandemic disease. 8 Global eradication, however, is a much more demanding goal, but this has been achieved for smallpox and rinderpest.…”