Seventeen neglected tropical diseases which tend to fester in impoverished areas of tropical regions cause serious misery and disability, says the World Health Organization (WHO) in its latest report Working to overcome the global impact of neglected tropical diseases. The devastation caused by these diseases could be considerably reduced, WHO adds.

Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General, said:

These are debilitating, sometimes horrific diseases that are often accepted as part of the misery of being poor. The strategies set out in this report are a breakthrough. If implemented widely, they can substantially reduce the disease burden, breaking a cycle of infection, disability and lost opportunities that keep people in poverty.

The neglected tropical diseases include:

  • Buruli ulcer disease (Mycobacterium ulcerans infection)
  • Cysticercosis
  • Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis)
  • Dengue
  • Dracunculiasis (guinea-worm disease)
  • Echinococcosis
  • Endemic treponematoses
  • Foodborne trematode infections
  • Human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness)
  • Leishmaniasis
  • Leprosy (Hansen disease)
  • Lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis)
  • Onchocerciasis (river blindness)
  • Rabies
  • Schistosomiasis (bilharziasis)
  • Soil-transmitted helminthiases
  • Trachoma

In tropical areas where environments are filthy, housing is substandard, and poverty is widespread, these diseases thrive.

Neglected tropical diseases can have the most devastating consequences for sufferers, including:

  • arm or leg deformities
  • blindness
  • disfiguring scars
  • impaired physical development
  • mental retardation
  • severe damage to internal organs
  • severe pain
  • ulcers

According to WHO, one or more of the 17 diseases are endemic in 149 countries and territories, negatively affecting the lives of over 1 billion people.

Dr. Chan said:

The evidence is now overwhelming. Existing interventions, including safe, simple and effective medicines, are having an impact. By expanding coverage, we can actually prevent many of these diseases. This is a first-time opportunity for some very ancient diseases.

WHO thanks the considerable donations made by some major pharmaceutical companies, including:

  • Novartis – the donation of clofazimine for leprosy and its complications, as well as multidrug therapy for leprosy – unlimited supplies.
  • GlaxoSmithKline – a new five year commitment to expand albendazole donation through WHO, in addition to its existing donation for lymphatic filariasis to treat school-age children for soil transmitted helminthiases in Africa. The commitment includes 400 million doses per year for this purpose.
  • Sanofi-Aventis – renewing support for WHO’s program to eradicate sleeping sickness, as well as a 5-year commitment to support efforts against Buruli ulcer, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis.
  • Bayer – in discussions with WHO regarding helping efforts to fight Chagas disease and sleeping sickness.
  • ESAI – provision of diethylcarbamazine (DEC) to help eliminate lymphatic filariasis
  • Johnson & Johnson – to supply up to 200 million intestinal worm treatment for children annually.

  • Preventive chemotherapy treatments reach 670 million patients in 2008
  • Guinea worm disease (dracunculiasis) will be the first disease eliminated by health education and behavior change, rather than by a vaccine
  • Cases of sleeping sickness have fallen to their lowest levels in half a century
  • Lymphatic filariasis should be eradicated by 2020 if current efforts continue according to plan

The WHO report say there are still challenges ahead, for example delivery systems have to be improved.

Dr Lorenzo Savioli, Director of the WHO Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases, said:

The use of the primary school platform to treat millions of children for schistosomiasis and helminthiasis in Africa is a perfect example. It provides opportunities to broader health education, thereby ensuring healthier future generations.

Zoonotic diseases – these are disease that are transmitted form animals to humans. The report says coordination with veterinary public health is crucial in the control of zoonotic diseases. Tens of thousands of humans are infected with rabies each year, most of them originating from dogs – most cases involve children under 15 in Africa and Asia.

Source: WHO

Written by Christian Nordqvist