Neglected Tropical Diseases

[Robin]

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDS).they say this mostly affects the poorpeople and is often ignored by public health officials and political leaders.despite their enormus medical importance
Toxocarias is caused by a roundworm,is now a common parasitic infection among inner city African American and Hispanic children.Possibly as many as 23% of Americans living in poverty are exposed to this parasitic worm in whom it causes a lung disease that resembles asthma as well as liver and brain disease.Cysticercosis caused by the tapeworm Taenia szolium is emerging as the leading cause of epilipsy among Mexican Americans.
Because these parasitic infections only occur among impoverished people and mostly underrepresent minorities in the U.S.there was a study done inABethesada,Maryland U.S.A and they documeented a sizeable number of imported cases to the U.S of parasitic worm infections such as river blindness,elephantitis and African eyeworm comprise 0.62%(271)of the 43,722 medical conditions reported to the Geo Sentinel.
"The fact that these neglected infections of poverty represent some of the greatest health disparities in the U,S, but they remain at the bottom of the public health agenda is a national disgrace"says Peter J Hotez,MD Phd executive director of Global Network for NTDS.
In addition to the neglected diseases above numbers of American schoolchildren living in poor areas may also be infected with other parasites includind Ascaris roundworms in the south,strongyloides thredworms in Appalachia Leishmania protozan parasites in texas and the bacteria that caused leptospirosis.
1Clinical manifestations including epilepsy,acute symtomatic seizures,severe headaches and pyschiatric disturbances.human diseaseis slow and insidious and are not attributed to larval cestode infection.
2.they generally disable rather than kill.
3they can be harboured for years or decades.
4. they are frequently disfiguring and stigmatizing.
5. NTDS have plagued humankind for CENTURIES and many ARE described in ancient texts.
XO
Robin