People often think of leprosy as a bygone disease, relevant primarily in biblical times. But in fact, it is still present in more than 120 countries, and the US is seeing an uptick in cases.
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Articles on Neglected tropical disease
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In rural Ghana, only 18% of patients believe elephantiasis is a disease. Some others think it is caused by curses or even rain. Only by understanding local beliefs can it be treated effectively.
Neglected tropical diseases of the skin are stigmatised, and may affect an individual’s quality of life
After nearly 40 years of effort, Guinea worm disease is on the cusp of being the second human disease – after smallpox – to be eradicated on Earth.
Every year, 1.7 billion people, most in the world’s poorest areas, are affected by NTDs. The diseases cause suffering, stigma, disability and sometimes death.
Ivermectin is vital for controlling a number of neglected tropical diseases, but mixed messaging and reported side-effects from its misuse against COVID could turn patients off it.
Although there is no evidence yet that it affects COVID-19 vaccines, schistosomiasis, a neglected tropical disease, has been associated with lower vaccine immunity for several vaccines.
Each year 50 000 people from 89 countries, in every continent except Antarctica, die from leishmaniasis, an ancient neglected disease.
The 2015 Nobel Prize in medicine went to research on remedies derived from natural compounds. Academia is continuing the fight against ‘neglected’ diseases by similarly hunting for new drugs in nature.
Tropical parasites have been moving up the world health agenda in recent years. They’re still a long way from the top, though.
Top contributors
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Senior Research Fellow in Global Health, University of Southampton
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Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing Foundations, MacEwan University
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Senior Lecturer in Parasite Epidemiology, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University
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Senior Lecturer in Immunology of Infectious Diseases, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)
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Associate Professor, Human Rights, University of Winnipeg
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Scientific Co-Director and Associate Professor, University of Waterloo
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Professor of Chemistry, Northeastern University
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Associate Professor of Chemistry, Northeastern University
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Research scientist, University of Cape Town
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PhD Candidate, University of Cape Town
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Professor of Dermatology , University of Lome
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Lecturer and Team Leader: Leishmaniasis Research Group, University of Cape Town
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Research Officer, Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plant Studies (Cameroon) and Research fellow, University of Cape Town
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Associate Professor of Biochemistry, Clemson University
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Professor of Dermatology, University of Lome
