A-Z Guide to the Year in Medicine

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CHRIS HONDROS / GETTY POLIO: After a year-long hiatus, children in Nigeria are once again getting oral vaccines

POLIO This is the year polio was supposed to be wiped out. That didn't happen, but the number of cases worldwide dropped from 350,000 in 1988 to 1,499 reported cases as of mid-November, and global-health experts are optimistic about eliminating the paralytic scourge in 2006.

There have been glitches, however; religious concerns have kept people from getting inoculated, not just in developing countries but also here at home. Five children--all from a group of Amish families in central Minnesota that don't believe in vaccination--developed polio this fall, something that hasn't happened in the U.S. since 2000.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS The biggest expansion of the Medicare program in 40 years began this November when seniors and other eligible beneficiaries started enrolling in new plans to cover prescription-drug costs. Officially called Medicare Part D, the plans are offered by private insurers and may cut costs for some participants as much as 50%.

That doesn't necessarily mean they are easy to understand. Medicare patients who currently pay for all their prescriptions out of pocket will benefit from just about any plan they choose. If they already have some prescription-drug coverage, however, say, as part of a union benefit or retiree health plan, they must be prepared to do some real digging to understand if switching makes sense. A good place to start is to call 1-800-MEDICARE or to visit medicare.gov Anyone who decides to enroll, however, should sign up as soon as possible. Delaying past May 15, 2006, will increase the premiums.