Neglected Tropical Diseases
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A Neglected Tropical Diseases is a Tropical Disease that ...
- See: Lymphatic Filariasis, Tropical Disease, Africa, Asia, Americas, Disease Burden, Malaria, Tuberculosis, Schistosomiasis, USD, National Public Radio, Scientific America.
References
2015
- (Wikipedia, 2015) ⇒ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/neglected_tropical_diseases Retrieved:2015-11-16.
- Neglected tropical diseases are a medically diverse group of tropical infections which are especially common in low-income populations in developing regions of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. They are caused by a variety of pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, protozoa and helminths. Different organizations define the set of diseases differently. In sub-Saharan Africa, the impact of these diseases as a group is comparable to malaria and tuberculosis. Some of these diseases have known preventive measures or acute medical treatments which are available in the developed world but which are not universally available in poorer areas. In some cases, the treatments are relatively inexpensive. For example, the treatment for schistosomiasis is USD $0.20 per child per year. Nevertheless, control of neglected diseases is estimated to require funding of between US$2 billion to US$3 billion over the next five to seven years. These diseases are contrasted with the big three diseases (HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria), which generally receive greater treatment and research funding. The neglected diseases can also make HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis more deadly. However, some pharmaceutical companies have committed to donating all the drug therapies required, and mass drug administration (for example mass deworming) has been successfully accomplished in several countries. Seventeen neglected tropical diseases are prioritized by WHO. These diseases are common in 149 countries, affecting more than 1.4 billion people (including more than 500 million children) [1] and costing developing economies billions of dollars every year.[2] They resulted in 142,000 deaths in 2013 –down from 204,000 deaths in 1990. Of these 17, two are targeted for eradication (dracunculiasis (guinea-worm disease) by 2015 and yaws by 2020) and four for elimination (blinding trachoma, human African trypanosomiasis, leprosy and lymphatic filariasis by 2020).