The scourges of leprosy and polio are on the verge of being eradicated here. Leprosy should be wiped out as a public health problem by next year, and polio should be gone by 2005. Last year India had only 108 known cases of wild polio virus. AIDS, on the other hand, appears to be the next public health battle, with roughly 3.5 million infected. The disease is especially prevalent in brothels and among long distance truck drivers.
