This journal article examines the spread of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in Middle East countries occupied by the Islamic State and discusses ways to treat and prevent them.
While global attention in West Africa is focused on the emergence of Ebola virus infection, new information from the published literature and World Health Organization databases reveals that many other neglected tropical diseases are far more widespread and also require urgent attention.
“Blue marble health” was introduced in 2013 as a policy framework to better understand new trends in the geographic distribution of the major neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)affecting human populations that live in extreme poverty. An analysis of information released by the World Health Organization reveals that the concepts of blue marble health extend beyond neglected tropical diseases to also include “the big three diseases”: HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
Increasing evidence links the major neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) to a significant adverse impact on both human and economic development, especially for the major helminth infections, i.e., hookworm and the intestinal helminth infections, schistosomiasis and lymphatic filariasis. Helminth Elimination in the Pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals: A "Worm Index" for Human Development
Peter J. Hotez, Jennifer R. HerricksApril 30, 2015
Over the past 40 years, we have seen a consistent pattern of war and conflict leading to the collapse of public health systems and the subsequent reemergence of deadly tropical infections. "Outbreaks have undermined the health and livelihoods of individuals, the economic growth of communities, security and ultimately the development potential of nations," writes Peter Hotez, fellow in disease and poverty. "We may now be witnessing the beginnings of a similar pattern in the Middle East and North Africa region."
The 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) constitute an economic powerhouse, yet these countries also harbor a mostly hidden burden of poverty and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Almost 200 million people live in extreme poverty in ASEAN countries, and many of them are affected by at least one NTD. However, NTDs are prevalent even among upper middle-income ASEAN countries such as Malaysia and Thailand, especially among the indigenous populations.
The Gulf of Mexico area — including both U.S. and Mexican states — is emerging as a hot spot for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), including dengue, Chikungunya and West Nile virus infection. This article highlights the important opportunities for international cooperation between the governments of the U.S. and Mexico and both public sector and private scientific institutions located in the Gulf of Mexico region in order to control or eliminate selected NTDs.
The international Human Microbiome Project trumpeted the coming of age of the field of metagenomics, the study of entire communities of microbes and their contributions to health and disease. In parallel, the field of metabolomics emerged as the systematic, nonbiased analysis of all low-molecular-weight small molecules, or metabolites, produced by a system in response to an environmental stimulus. These fields have enabled discoveries pertinent to a number of human conditions — namely, acute gastroenteritis, antibiotic-associated diarrhea, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, liver disease, undernutrition and obesity — and have begun to shed new light on multiple aspects of the neglected tropical diseases.
The success of Yemen's efforts to control neglected tropical diseases provides important lessons for conducting disease control activities in the face of civil unrest, extreme instability and poverty, writes Peter Hotez, fellow in disease and poverty, in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Peter Hotez discusses his work on neglected tropical diseases and the future direction of disease elimination and science diplomacy. Published in the journal Molecular Medicine, December 2014.
