With his resignation, Pope Benedict has chosen a starkly different path than his predecessor, John Paul II, whose long struggle with Parkinson's disease played out before eyes of the world before his death in 2005.

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The health service still provides world-class vaccines and treatments for diseases like hepatitis, meningitis and Parkinson's disease.

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Parkinson's affects at least 1 million Americans and another 5 million people around the world.

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