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Reading List 8/31/2010

August 31st, 2010

A new list of reads for your reading pleasure! Today we’re reading about a successful experimental treatment for victims of trachoma, the current state of global immunization, the spread of trachoma within the Northern Bahr el Ghazal region of Sudan, and Lymphatic filariasis in India.

Experimental vision cure proves successful, Thomas H. Maugh, Los Angeles Times
Global immunizations hit record but miss millions, David Morgan, Reuters
Mystery eye disease spreads across Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Ngor Arol Garang, Sudan Tribune
Lymphatic filariasis in India: Epidemiology and control measures, S Sabesan, P Vanamail, KHK Raju, P Jambulingam, Journal of Postgraduate Medicine

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Posted in Africa, Global Development, Global Health, India, NTDs, Public Health, reading list

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World Mosquito Day

August 20th, 2010

By: Nathaniel Wolf, Sabin Vaccine Institute

August 20th is World Mosquito Day.  In 1897, Sir Ronald Ross looked at a mosquito under a microscope and saw that it looked really cool up close.  He declared August 20th World Mosquito Day and said we should be nice to mosquitoes, if only one day a year. 

Not really.  What Dr. Ross discovered was the link between mosquitoes and transmission of malaria.  He declared World Mosquito Day so that people would become educated about the life cycle of malaria, and in 1902 he won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for it.   In spite of this discovery, today the disease continues to be a threat to approximately 2.85 billion people, afflicting 250 million people around the world and causing an estimated 1 million deaths annually.   

» Read more: World Mosquito Day

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Posted in Africa, Global Health, NTDs, poverty

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Reading List 8/17/2010

August 17th, 2010

Happy Tuesday! Below is a  great list of reads to get your week started. Today we’re reading about Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV)’s contribution to the Pool for Open Innovation against Neglected Tropical Diseases, the importance of foreign aid for Africa, an article about the Global Atlas of Helminth Infections, and how research on worms may contribute to Alzheimer research.

MMV Joins Pool for Neglected Tropical Diseases, The Medical News
Why Foreign Aid is Important for Africa, Charles Abugre, CNN
Mapping this Wormy World, Biology News Net
Research Adds Weight To New Thinking On Alzheimer’s Disease, MediLexicon

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Posted in Africa, Global Health, NTDs, Public Health, malaria, reading list

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New Global Atlas will Transform Deworming Programmes

August 16th, 2010

As mentioned last Friday, the Global Atlas of Helminth Infections is a brand new tool that will track worm infections all throughout Africa. Below is the press release announcing its launch:

Partnership for Child Development

MAPPING THIS WORMY WORLD

New global atlas will transform deworming programmes

Maps showing the distribution and prevalence of worm infections in every African country will be launched today (17 August). These maps, called This Wormy World www.thiswormyworld.org, are the first of a series of Global Atlas of Helminth Infections which provide a unique, open-access, free information resource vital for planning and implementing deworming programmes.

It is estimated that more than 400 million children worldwide are infected with worms (helminths), 90 million in Africa alone. Worms damage children’s health, nutrition and educational achievement. Infections are most prevalent in poor communities where there is inadequate sanitation. The most common worm infections are soil-transmitted helminths (roundworm, whipworm and hookworm) and schistosomiasis.

This Wormy World identifies areas in a country that most urgently require mass treatment to control infection and predicts the risk of infection in areas where data is lacking. The Global Atlas of Helminth Infections has been produced by an international collaboration lead by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Partnership for Child Development at Imperial College London. For a decade, the group has been gathering survey data to describe the distribution and prevalence of worm infection.

Announcing This Wormy World at the 12th International Congress of Parasitology in Melbourne, Australia, founder of the project, Dr Simon Brooker from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK and KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kenya, said, “Worm control is like a journey. The extent and location of the problem need to be mapped out in order to get treatment to where it is needed most. Until recently, much worm control has been a journey without reliable maps.”

» Read more: New Global Atlas will Transform Deworming Programmes

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Posted in Africa, Global Development, Global Health, NTDs, Public Health

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End the Neglect Blog Round Up 8/13/2010

August 13th, 2010

Happy Friday readers!

Here’s our weekly roundup:

  1.  On Monday we highlighted a story about an NTD program that provides meals to school children before giving them treatment for schistosomiasis.
  2. On Tuesday, a great organization LEPRA Health In Action guest blogged about integrated programs between Leprosy and Lymphatic Filariasis
  3. On Wednesday, our frequently contributing writer and global health guru Alanna Shaikh gave us some good news about Buruli Ulcer
  4. On Thursday we told you about a new feature on the Council on Foreign Relations website called The Global Governance Monitor
  5. And Today, Friday we had two great items for you: 1) A New Global Helminth Atlas that will be a great NTD advocacy tool 2) The latest edition of The Lancet included an article about Africa’s need for improved access to treatment for schistosomiasis.

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Posted in Africa, Global Development, Global Health, NTDs, Politics, Weekly Roundup, policy, reading list

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Latest Lancet Article Reveals: “Africa is Desperate for Praziquantel”

August 13th, 2010

 

Urine samples from school-aged children from Nérékoro in Ségou region of Mali. Three samples on right show visible haematuria, which indicates infection with S haematobium. Three samples on left are not haematuric at visual inspection but could still contain abnormal number of red blood cells. Urine cloudiness (third sample from left) is early sign of abnormality. Photo Credit: The Lancet

In an editorial in the August 13 edition of The Lancet, authors representing the Sabin Vaccine Institute, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Imperial College of London call for increased supplies of praziquantel for the African continent.  Praziquantel is the only commercially available treatment for human schistosomiasis, a devastating neglected tropical disease (NTD) affects an estimated 200-600 million people worldwide, with the vast majority of cases occurring in Africa, and causes chronic anemia and inflammation associated with severe disability among children, adolescents and young adults. Schistosomiasis produces a disease burden that could exceed that of malaria.

NTDs are devastating, disabling and debilitating parasitic and bacterial infections that adversely affect the poorest 1.4 billion people worldwide living on $1.25 a day. Such conditions promote poverty because of their impact on child growth and development, pregnancy outcome, and worker productivity, all of which adversely impact the earning capacity of already impoverished individuals and communities.

Authors Dr. Peter Hotez (Sabin Vaccine Institute), Dr. Lorenzo Savioli (WHO), Dr. Dirk Engels (WHO) and Dr. Alan Fenwick (Imperial), emphasize that because an estimated one billion tablets are needed to treat 400 million people annually or every other year, at least 10-20 times the currently donated praziquantel is necessary to increase treatment for schistosomiasis in Africa.

The authors conclude by stating that, “… praziquantel is urgently needed for sub-Saharan Africa now, and the current failure of the global community to provide access to this essential medicine is impeding sustainable development in Africa. The shortages of praziquantel should be treated as an African humanitarian crisis.”

 Read the full article here 

 

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Posted in Africa, Global Development, Global Health, NTDs, Politics, Public Health, Uncategorized, policy, poverty

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Reading List 8/12/10

August 12th, 2010

Hello readers! The news is buzzing with everything from today being UN International Youth Day to the on-going humanitarian crisis in Pakistan because of the massive floods.  We’re also reading about the global threat from the “other malaria,” and whether the ‘right to food’ should become a legal right in India.

  1.  Launching International Year of Youth, UN urges dialogue, respect across generations, UN News Center
  2. Massive scale-up needed in Pakistan flood relief operation, says UN, UN News Center
  3. Map reveals global threat from the ‘other malaria’, Rhiannon Smith, SciDev.net
  4. India Asks, Should Food Be a Right for the Poor? Jim Yardley, New York Times

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Posted in Global Development, Global Health, NTDs, Politics, Uncategorized, malaria, policy, poverty, reading list

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Good News For Buruli Ulcer

August 11th, 2010

By: Alanna Shaikh

I like good news, and this week has sure been short on it. Today, for example – we have added massive landslides in China to the floods in Pakistan and the forest fires in Russia. We could all use a good success story with interesting implications and – hey – I’ve got one:

The Stop Buruli consortium has successfully gene sequenced the bacteria that transmit Buruli. Buruli ulcer, for the unfamiliar, is a disgusting flesh-eating disease that leads to open sores and deformities. It generally affects children and young people, and it’s primarily found in West Africa (though it also shows up in Asia, Latin America, and Australia. I am hoping they mean some part of Asia far away from Central Asia, where I live.) And – this is fun – we’re not sure exactly how it is transmitted.  It has a mechanism beyond just skin-to-skin contact. It seems to be linked to slow moving water. Maybe.

» Read more: Good News For Buruli Ulcer

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Posted in Africa, Global Development, Global Health, NTDs, Public Health, poverty

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Gates Foundation Transitions The Living Proof Project to ONE

August 5th, 2010

Today the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation made an important announcement.  A special project they launched, ‘The Living Proof Project: U.S. Investments in Global Health Are Working’ will now transfer over to the ONE Campaign.

The Living Proof Project was initially concieved to demonstrate successes in global health interventions worldwide. By sharing captivating stories of hope through a wide range of multimedia platforms, “Living Proof”emphasized that targeted interventions do save and improve lives afflicted by poverty and disease.

According to the official press announcement:

“ONE will expand The Living Proof Project to reach new audiences in more countries around an expanded set of development issues, including agriculture and access to clean water. ONE will also broaden The Living Proof Project beyond the U.S. to highlight the impact of European investments. The launch of this effort will include an event in London this fall featuring Bill and Melinda Gates. ONE will also collaborate closely with organizations working on the ground in developing countries to get the word out about the work they are doing to save lives and create opportunity.

With 2 million members globally and a record of creating cutting-edge advocacy campaigns, ONE will lead the next evolution of The Living Proof Project. ONE and its partners will incorporate The Living Proof Project content into their ongoing efforts to inspire and challenge people around the world to help secure long term, sustainable support from G8 and G20 nations for international development.”

We are excited by this news and look forward to seeing the dynamic ways that ONE will shape “Living Proof!” We also look forward to sharing and highlighting stories of optimism and progress here on End The Neglect!

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Posted in Africa, Global Development, Global Health, NTDs, Public Health, poverty

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New Bill Could Impact Surveillance and Treatment of Neglected Infections of Poverty in the United States

July 30th, 2010

United States Representative Hank Johnson, Jr. introduced a bill before Congress today that will target the elimination of neglected infections of poverty (NIOPs) in the US. The “Neglected Infections of Impoverished Americans Act of 2010” or H.R. 5986, would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report to Congress annually on the impact of NIOPs, their threat and to make funding recommendations on how to eradicate them.

NIOPs are debilitating parasitic, bacterial, and congenital infections which disproportionately affect poor and minority populations in the US. The major NIOPs include toxocariasis, toxoplasmosis, trichomoniasis, congenital cytomegalovirus, cysticercosis, and Chagas disease (3 T’s and 3 C’s). The diseases have an especially great impact on the health and well being of women and children, impairing learning and productivity.

In a paper published in 2008 in the Public Library of Science Neglected Tropical Diseases, Sabin President Dr. Peter Hotez reported on the surprisingly high rates of parasitic infections among poor and minority populations in the US.

“These are diseases that we know are at least as important as H1N1,” Dr. Hotez said in a statement. “Yet, they are on no one’s radar. These are not exotic diseases found only in developing countries. They are right here in our communities, and this legislation is desperately needed to help get a grasp on their impact.”

Read the full press release here.

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Posted in Global Development, Global Health, NTDs, Public Health, U.S Government

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