What diseases are fully cured?

September 21, 2025 •

4 min read

In 1980, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared smallpox eradicated, a testament to human ingenuity and global cooperation. While few diseases have been completely wiped from the planet, many conditions that were once life-threatening are now fully curable. So, what diseases are fully cured?

Quick Summary

Several diseases are fully curable for individuals, including certain bacterial infections, some cancers detected early, and specific viral conditions like Hepatitis C. Globally, only smallpox and rinderpest have been fully eradicated.

Key Points

Smallpox Eradication: Smallpox was the first and only human infectious disease to be fully eradicated globally through vaccination efforts.
Cure vs. Eradication: A cure means a disease is eliminated in an individual, while eradication means it's permanently eliminated from the world.
Curable Infections: Many bacterial infections (e.g., strep throat) and some viral (Hepatitis C) and parasitic diseases (e.g., malaria) are curable with specific medications.
Managed vs. Cured Conditions: Complex diseases like cancer and HIV are often managed with long-term treatment to achieve remission, but a full cure can be difficult to guarantee.
Importance of Vaccines: Vaccines have been instrumental in preventing and eliminating many diseases, playing a crucial role in public health.
Deficiency Cures: Conditions like scurvy and rickets, caused by nutrient deficiencies, are fully curable by restoring the missing vitamins.

Understanding the difference between a cure and eradication

It's important to distinguish between curing a disease and eradicating it. A cure refers to a treatment that eliminates a disease in an individual, restoring them to full health. Eradication is a global achievement, meaning the disease-causing agent has been permanently eliminated worldwide. Few diseases meet the strict criteria for global eradication, but many more are considered curable on an individual basis with the right medical interventions.

Globally eradicated diseases

As of today, only two diseases have been successfully eradicated on a global scale through deliberate human intervention:

Smallpox: Caused by the variola virus, smallpox was a devastating disease that plagued humanity for centuries, responsible for millions of deaths. Thanks to a highly effective global vaccination campaign spearheaded by the WHO, the last natural case was recorded in 1977, and it was officially declared eradicated in 1980. This victory is a landmark achievement in public health history.
Rinderpest: This viral disease primarily affected cattle and other ruminants. Following a successful vaccination effort, led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, it was officially declared eradicated in 2011. This marks the first time an animal disease has been completely wiped out through human efforts.

Infectious diseases that are curable

Medical science offers cures for a variety of infectious diseases, primarily depending on the type of pathogen causing the illness.

Bacterial infections

Many bacterial diseases, from common ailments to serious infections, can be fully cured with antibiotics. The key is timely and appropriate treatment to prevent complications and antibiotic resistance. Examples include:

Strep Throat
Tuberculosis (curable with a long course of antibiotics)
Pneumonia (in many cases)
Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) like chlamydia and syphilis

Viral infections

For a long time, treatments for viruses were limited. However, advancements have led to cures for specific viral illnesses.

Hepatitis C: This chronic viral infection can lead to serious liver disease. Modern antiviral medications, known as direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), can now cure over 95% of patients in just a few months.
Some viral illnesses: While most mild viral infections like the common cold are not cured by medication, some are, and many are preventable with vaccines.

Parasitic infections

Parasitic diseases are caused by organisms living in or on a host. Many are curable with antiparasitic drugs.

Malaria: While historically devastating, malaria is curable with antimalarial drugs, although drug resistance is a growing concern. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are critical.
Scabies: A skin infestation caused by mites, scabies can be completely cured with prescription creams and lotions.
Tapeworms and other intestinal parasites: These can often be cured with a short course of medication.

Deficiency diseases

These conditions are not caused by an infectious agent but by a lack of essential nutrients. They are fully reversible once the nutrient deficiency is addressed.

Scurvy: Caused by a severe vitamin C deficiency, this condition can be fully cured by increasing vitamin C intake, often with supplements.
Rickets: Caused by a lack of vitamin D, calcium, or phosphate, rickets can be treated and cured by restoring these nutrients.

The complex case of cancer: remission vs. cure

For many, a cancer diagnosis brings the question of a cure to mind. The answer is complex. Some cancers, especially when detected early, have extremely high survival rates and can be considered cured after a long, cancer-free period. However, for many other types, doctors often use the term "remission." Remission means the signs and symptoms of cancer have disappeared, but there's a possibility it could return. For some, cancer becomes a chronic, manageable illness, similar to diabetes or heart disease.

Here is a comparison of different disease outcomes:


Feature	Full Cure	Eradication	Remission/Management
Definition	Complete elimination of disease in an individual.	Complete elimination of disease worldwide.	Signs of disease are reduced or disappear, but risk of recurrence remains.
Scope	Individual patient.	Global population.	Individual patient.
Example	Strep throat treated with antibiotics.	Smallpox.	Some cancers, HIV/AIDS.
Key Outcome	Return to full health with no trace of the disease.	No longer a threat to the global population.	Prolonged life and improved quality of life; often requires ongoing treatment.

The future of medicine: working toward more cures

While the list of fully curable or eradicated diseases is still relatively small, modern medical research continues to make incredible progress. Ongoing efforts target diseases like polio, which is on the verge of eradication, and Guinea worm disease. For chronic diseases like HIV, effective management has transformed a once fatal diagnosis into a manageable condition, while research continues for a definitive cure. Similarly, advancements in gene therapy and personalized medicine offer hope for treating and one day curing a wider range of genetic and complex illnesses.

For more information on the global effort to eliminate diseases, visit the World Health Organization (WHO) website here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Currently, HIV is not considered fully curable. However, modern antiretroviral therapy (ART) is highly effective at suppressing the virus to undetectable levels, allowing people with HIV to live long, healthy lives. Research for a definitive cure is ongoing.

The curability of cancer depends heavily on its type, stage, and individual factors. Early detection and treatment can lead to high survival rates and sometimes a full cure. For many cancers, treatment can lead to remission, where signs of the disease disappear, but long-term monitoring is necessary due to the risk of recurrence.

Eradication is extremely difficult and requires specific criteria, such as an effective vaccine or treatment, the absence of an animal reservoir, and widespread public cooperation. Smallpox was an ideal candidate for eradication due to these factors, but many other diseases, like the flu, constantly mutate, making global eradication challenging.

While many bacterial infections are curable with antibiotics, misuse and overuse have led to antibiotic resistance, making some strains of bacteria harder to treat. It is crucial to take antibiotics as prescribed by a doctor to ensure effectiveness and help prevent resistance.

A cure means the disease is permanently gone, with no expectation of return. Remission means the signs and symptoms of the disease are gone or reduced, but there is still a possibility of it returning. Doctors use the term remission for many cancers and other chronic conditions.

Yes, diseases caused by a deficiency in vitamins or other nutrients, such as scurvy (vitamin C) and rickets (vitamin D), are fully curable by simply supplementing the body with the necessary nutrients.

Vaccination is a preventative measure, not a cure. It works by training the immune system to recognize and fight off a pathogen before it causes illness. In a broader sense, mass vaccination campaigns were the key to achieving global eradication of smallpox and have prevented millions of infections for diseases like polio and measles.