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World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day: Here is all you need to know about NTDs

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The United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) (3) focuses on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all ages. Part of goal 3.3 extends the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) beyond the Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Tuberculosis (TB), and Malaria to ‘end the epidemic’ of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) by 2030. 

It is important to note that NTD activities contribute indirectly to many other SDGs (like SDG 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, and 17), while progress towards some SDGs (like SDG 6, 9, 11, and 13) is critical to tackling NTDs. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that NTDs affect more than 1 billion people while about 1.6 billion people require NTD interventions–preventive and curative. 

In celebration of World Neglected Tropical Disease Day (Jan. 30), this article sheds light on all you need to know about neglected tropical diseases.

What are NTDs?

NTDs are a diverse group of conditions mainly found in tropical areas with people living in impoverished communities. These conditions are caused by different pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungi, and toxins. They have devastating health, social, and economic consequences.

The study of how often diseases occur in different groups of people is complex and related to environmental conditions. Many of these environmental conditions are vector-borne, have animal reservoirs, and are associated with complex life cycles.

NTDs include

  1. Buruli Ulcer: This is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium ulcerans. The bacterium produces a toxin that causes skin damage. When not treated early, Buruli ulcers can lead to long-term disability. 

Although it is still unclear how people get Buruli ulcers from the environment, they have been reported in 33 countries in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and the Western Pacific.

  1. Chagas Disease: This is an infectious disease caused by a protozoan parasite (Trypanosoma cruzi). The WHO estimates that about six to seven million people worldwide are infected with T. cruzi, leading to approximately 12,000 deaths every year.

Chagas disease was named after Carlos Chagas, a Brazilian physician and researcher who first diagnosed the disease in a person on Apr. 14, 1909. Despite this condition’s global presence increasing, it is found mainly in endemic areas of 21 continental Latin American countries where transmission is largely related to the vector presence

  1. Dengue and Chikungunya: Chikungunya (CHIKV) is a virus that spreads to people through mosquito bites, specifically through the Aedes aegyptimosquito and Aedes albopictus mosquito. This virus, once found only in Africa and Asia, is now global, affecting more than 110 countries worldwide.
  1. Dracunculiasis(Guinea Worm Disease): Dracunculiasis, also called Guinea worm disease, is caused by the parasite Dracunculus medinensis. While this disease is rarely fatal, infected people become non-functional for weeks and months. 

The transmission cycle takes 10–14 months from infection to complete. The parasite is transmitted when people drink stagnant water contaminated with parasite-infected water fleas.

  1. Echinococcosis: The human Echinococcosis is a parasitic disease caused by tapeworms of the genus Echinococcus. The two most important forms of this disease in humans are cystic echinococcosis (hydatidosis) and alveolar echinococcosis. Infections occur when someone ingests the parasite eggs in contaminated food, water, or soil or after direct contact with animal hosts.
  1. Foodborne Trematode: Foodborne trematodes are a group of diseases that include the parasites Clonorchis, Opisthorchis, Fasciola, and Paragonimus. They cause infection in humans by consuming contaminated food like raw fish, crustaceans, or vegetables. This infection can result in severe liver and lung disease. 
  1. Human African Trypanosomiasis (Sleeping Sickness): Human African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness, is a vector-borne parasitic disease. It is caused by protozoans of the genus Trypanosoma, transmitted to humans by bites of tsetse flies (glossina). Tsetse flies inhabit sub-Saharan Africa, and only certain species transmit the disease. People in rural areas that depend on agriculture, fishing, animal husbandry, or hunting are the most exposed. 
  1. Leishmaniasis: Leishmaniasis is caused by protozoan parasites transmitted by the bite of infected female phlebotomine sandflies. There are three main forms of leishmaniases; visceral (the most serious form because it is almost always fatal without treatment), cutaneous (the most common, usually causing skin ulcers), and mucocutaneous (affecting mouth, nose, and throat).
  1. Leprosy: Leprosy, also known as Hansen disease, is a chronic infectious disease caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae. The disease predominantly affects the skin and peripheral nerves. When left untreated, Leprosy may cause progressive and permanent disabilities. According to the WHO, Leprosy still occurs in more than 120 countries, with around 200,000 new cases reported every year.

A 2023 statistics show that  Brazil, India, and Indonesia continue to report more than 10,000 new cases, while 12 other countries (Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, Somalia, Sri Lanka and the United Republic of Tanzania) each reported 1,000–10,000 new cases.

  1. Lymphatic Filariasis (Elephantiasis): This infection occurs when mosquitoes transmit filarial parasites to humans. It is usually acquired in childhood and causes hidden damage to the lymphatic system. WHO says over 657 million people in 39 countries worldwide are threatened by lymphatic filariasis and require preventive chemotherapy to stop the spread of this parasitic infection.
  1. Mycetoma: This is a chronic disease usually of the foot but any part of the body can be affected. The infection is probably acquired by traumatic inoculation of fungi or ‎bacteria into the subcutaneous tissue. So far, the WHO says there are more than 70 different causative bacteria and fungi.
  1. Chromoblastomycosis: This is a sporadically occurring infection in tropical and subtropical climates caused by many different pigmented fungi, the most common of which are Fonsecaea pedrosoi, Fonsecaea monophobia, and Cladophialophora carrion.

Other deep NTDs include mycoses, noma, onchocerciasis, rabies, scabies, and other ectoparasites.

Why are these diseases tagged “Neglected”?

They are ‘neglected’ because they are almost absent from the global health agenda. Even when the focus is on universal health coverage, NTDs have limited resources and are ignored by global funding agencies. 

NTDs are diseases of neglected populations that perpetuate a cycle of poor educational outcomes and limited professional opportunities. They are also associated with stigma and social exclusion.

These diseases flourish mainly in rural areas, conflict zones, and hard-to-reach regions. They also thrive in areas worsened by climate change and where access to clean water and sanitation is scarce. 

Furthermore, NTDs tend to affect regions without quality health care, leaving poor populations vulnerable to these often debilitating diseases and newly emerging threats.

How are NTDs managed?

WHO recommends five core strategic interventions to accelerate the prevention, control, elimination, and eradication of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). These strategies are:

  • innovative and intensified disease management
  • preventive chemotherapy
  • vector control
  • veterinary public health
  • provision of safe water, sanitation, and hygiene.

Conclusion

NTDs are important and deserve the same attention and efforts other diseases attract, so all stakeholders need to do more to achieve the 2030 goal of eradication. 

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