The reasoning: endpoint definitions (Dowdle 1998; WHO NTD road map)
| Endpoint | Definition | Interventions still needed? |
|---|---|---|
| Control | Reduction of incidence, prevalence, morbidity or mortality to a locally acceptable level | Yes, continuous |
| Elimination as a public‑health problem | Achievement of measurable global targets set by WHO (for example, leprosy < 1/10,000 prevalence; kala‑azar < 1/10,000 at block level; MNT < 1/1,000 live births per district) | Yes, to sustain and to move further |
| Elimination of transmission | Reduction to zero incidence in a defined geographical area | Yes, because importation is possible |
| Eradication | Permanent reduction to zero worldwide incidence of infection | No |
| Extinction | The agent no longer exists in nature or the laboratory | No |