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.
