Meeting of the Neglected Tropical Diseases Strategic and Technical Advisory
Group’s Monitoring and Evaluation Subgroup on ...-to-highlight medbox">Disease-specific Indicators
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Lymphatic filariasis is a neglected tropical disease that can cause permanent disability through disruption of the lymphatic system. This ...ss="attribute-to-highlight medbox">disease is caused by parasitic filarial worms that are transmitted by mosquitos. Mass drug administration (MDA) of antihelmintics is recommended by WHO to eliminate lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem. This study aims to produce the first geospatial estimates of the global prevalence of lymphatic filariasis infection over time, to quantify progress towards elimination, and to identify geographical variation in distribution of infection.
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Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease of global medical and veterinary importance. As efforts to eliminate schistosomiasis as a public he...alth problem and interrupt transmission gather momentum, the potential zoonotic risk posed by livestock Schistosoma species via viable hybridisation in sub-Saharan Africa have been largely overlooked. We aimed to investigate the prevalence, distribution, and multi-host, multiparasite transmission cycle of Haematobium group schistosomiasis in Senegal, West Africa.
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Snakebite envenoming is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) that is responsible for enormous suffering, disability and premature death on every cont...inent. As over 5.8 billion people are at risk of encountering a venomous snake, it is not surprising but no less tragic that almost 7400 people every
day are bitten by snakes, and 220–380 men, women and children die as a result, adding up to about 2.7 million cases of envenoming and 8100–138 000 deaths a year.
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The major neglected tropical diseases, Taenia solium taeniosis/cysticercosis and schistosomiasis caused by Schistosoma mansoni or S. haematobium ar...e presumed to be widely distributed in Africa. Taenia solium taeniosis/ cysticercosis has been reported as an emerging disease in different regions of Africa [1, 2], but currently the exact distribution remains unclear. Reported prevalences of T. solium taeniosis and cysticercosis in African countries are not extensive and are further complicated by the lack of ‘gold standard’ tests for diagnosis.
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Sleeping sickness is a neglected tropical disease affecting rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa. The reduction in the number of reported cases ...in recent years indicates that disease transmission is under control. However, many aspects of patient management still need to be improved. Undiagnosed patients or inappropriate treatment due to an incorrect determination of the disease stage could in fact lead to its re-emergence. There is thus a strong need for new diagnostic and staging tools to keep the disease under control and to improve the clinical care of patients. This review describes the most promising biomarkers proposed so far for the diagnosis and stage determination of patients suffering from sleeping sickness, with a particular emphasis on their translation into diagnostic tools for field applications.
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Urogenital schistosomiasis is a common neglected tropical disease in many rural communities in African countries, with patches of infection in the ...Eastern Mediterranean Region. Globally, an estimated 239 million people are currently infected, with burden estimated at more than 3.5 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). In many endemic areas, severely infected individuals may suffer fibrosis of the bladder, kidney damage, bladder cancer, and death if untreated. This, however, depends on several factors such as host-parasite genetics, degree and length of exposure, intensity of infection, host immune response to the parasites, and coinfections with other tropical diseases such as malaria and HIV-1.
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The development of this target product profile (TPP) was led by the WHO Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) following standa...rd WHO guidance for TPP development. In order to identify and prioritize diagnostic needs, a WHO NTD Diagnostics Technical Advisory Group (DTAG) was formed, and different subgroups were created to advise on specific NTDs, including a subgroup working on the human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) diagnostic innovation needs. This group of independent experts included leading scientists, public health officials and endemic-country end-user representatives. Standard WHO Declaration of Interest procedures were followed. A landscape analysis of the available products and of the development pipeline was conducted, and the salient areas with unmet needs were identified.
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The development of this target product profile (TPP) was led by the WHO Department of Control of Ne-
glected Tropical ...ghlight medbox">Diseases (NTD) following standard WHO guidance for TPP development. In order to
identify and prioritize diagnostic needs, a WHO NTD Diagnostics Technical Advisory Group (DTAG)
was formed, and different subgroups were created to advise on specific NTDs, including a subgroup
working on the human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) diagnostic innovation needs. This group of in-
dependent experts included leading scientists, public health officials and endemic-country end-user rep-
resentatives. Standard WHO Declaration of Interest procedures were followed. A landscape analysis of
the available products and of the development pipeline was conducted, and the salient areas with unmet
needs were identified
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Lymphatic filariasis is a vector-borne neglected tropical disease that causes damage of the lymphatic system and can lead to lymphoedema (elephanti...asis) and hydrocele in infected individuals. The global baseline estimate of persons affected by lymphatic filariasis is 25 million men with hydrocele and over 15 million people with lymphoedema. At least 36 million persons remain with these chronic disease manifestations. The disease is endemic in 72 countries. In 2016, an estimated total population of 856 million were living in areas with ongoing transmission of the causative filarial parasites and requiring mass drug administration (MDA). Lymphatic filariasis disfigures and disables, and often leads to stigmatization and poverty. Hundreds of millions of dollars are lost annually due to reduced productivity of affected patients. WHO has ranked the disease as one of the world’s leading causes of permanent and long-term disability.
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Schistosomiasis is one of the 17 ‘neglected tropical diseases’ as classified by the World Health Organization.
In order to better understand ...attitudes and practices surrounding schistosomiasis, Malaria Consortium carried out a survey in Nampula province, Mozambique, where the organisation is implementing a community engagement intervention with a
focus on this disease. Findings suggest a need for greater efforts to improve knowledge of schistosomiasis in affected communities
in order to increase uptake of mass drug administration and ensure that communities take appropriate measures to prevent infection.
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A qualitative assessment of knowledge gaps about female genital schistosomiasis among communities living in Schistosoma haematobium endemic districts of Zanzibar and Northwestern Tanzania.
PloS Neglected ...Tropical Diseases September 30, 2021 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0009789
Schistosoma haematobium causes urogenital schistosomiasis and is widely distributed in Tanzania. In girls and women, the parasite can cause Female Genital Schistosomiasis (FGS), a gynecological manifestation of schistosomiasis that is highly neglected and overlooked by public health professionals and policy makers. This study explored community members’ knowledge, attitudes and perceptions (KAP) on and health seeking behavior for FGS.
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Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a lethal neglected tropical disease (NTD) transmitted by the bite of infected tsetse flies. The ..."attribute-to-highlight medbox">disease is also known as “sleeping sickness”. During the 20th century it caused enormous suffering in the endemic areas in sub-Saharan Africa. HAT transmission last soared in the late 1990s, triggering a renewed, coordinated and very successful control effort. In this paper, we present achievements towards HAT elimination, with a focus on the WHO road map targets for 2020. In particular, reported cases continue to decline, from over 30,000 cases per year at the turn of the century to 663 cases in 2020. Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, HAT surveillance was largely sustained, and the network of health facilities able to diagnose and treat the disease further expanded. Looking to the future, the World Health Organization (WHO) set bold new targets for HAT in its 2021–2030 road map for NTDs, namely: the elimination of transmission of gambiense HAT, which occurs in western and central Africa, and the elimination as a public health problem of rhodesiense HAT, which is found in eastern and southern Africa. The strong commitment of national health authorities and the international community will be essential if these goals are to be achieved.
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Recognizing neglected tropical diseseases through changes on the skin.
App for Android and IOS, free of charge. The App is available in English and French, with plans to explore translations into o...ther languages, such as Portuguese and Spanish, to better serve diverse communities.
A patient's skin is the first and most visible structure of the body that a healthcare worker encounters during an examination. It is also highly visible to the patient, and any disease that affects it can be felt and has an impact on personal and social wellbeing. The skin is therefore an important entry point for diagnosis and management. Many human diseases are associated with changes in the skin, ranging from symptoms such as itching to changes in colour, feel and appearance.
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Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a preventable neglected tropical disease (NTD) caused by infection with the filarial parasites Wuchereria bancrofti, B...rugia malayi or B. timori. Mosquitos in the genera Culex, Anopheles, Mansonia and Aedes transmit the parasites from person to person. Lymphoedema and hydrocoele are the visible, chronic clinical consequences of the impairment of lymphatic vessels caused by infection with these parasites. WHO established the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) to stop transmission of infection by mass drug administration (MDA) of anthelminthics and to alleviate the suffering of people affected by the disease through morbidity management and disability prevention (MMDP). Since the start of GPELF, the number of infections has been reduced by 74% globally. The latest estimate is that 51.4 million people are infected.
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Chagas is a parasitic disease that affects over 6 million people in the
world. As the disease typically remains asymptomatic for years, new cases
often go unnoticed and unreported, and most people... with the disease
are unaware of their condition. Less than 10% of people affected are
diagnosed and the vast majority do not receive the treatment they need.
If not treated, Chagas may cause irreversible, life-threatening damage to
the heart and other vital organs.
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Mycetoma is a slow-growing bacterial or fungal infection, most often of the foot, that may spread to other parts of the body and can cause severe deformity. It is a debilitating disease that most often affects poor people in rural areas with limited... access to health care.
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A key component of achieving control and elimination of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) is effective supply chain management of preventive chemo...therapy drugs for Mass Drug Administration (MDA) for trachoma, river blindness, lymphatic filariasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis and schistosomiasis. This course explains the end-to-end process from planning and submitting donated drug requests through to waste management of expired and unserviceable stock and reverse logistics of unused tablets. It is essential knowledge for all levels of the health system that must work together to implement MDA.
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Trachoma is one of the 17 WHO-defined Neglected Tropical Diseases
(NTDs) that affect over 1 billion of the world’s poorest and most
marginalize...d people. It is caused by the bacterium chlamydia trachomatis.
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Species of the genus Schistosoma are digenetic trematodes and the causative agents of the Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) schistosomiasis; a paras...itic disease that ranks second only to malaria in terms of socioeconomic impacts. Over 220 million people worldwide are currently infected, 90% of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), with an estimated annual mortality of at least 200,000. Infection in humans, as well as alternative mammalian definitive hosts, occurs in contaminated freshwater environments via cercariae shed from specific snail intermediate hosts. Early acute morbidity can occur following cutaneous penetration, sometimes leading to an urticarial rash known as swimmers itch or cercarial dermatitis.
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