This past Saturday, December 1, marked the 24^th annual World AIDS Day. Dating back to 1988, World AIDS Day was the first ever global health awareness day. Since 2011 World AIDS Day has been focused on a new theme:  “Getting to Zero: Zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination, zero AIDS related deaths.”  Building on this theme, it is important to note the high rates of co-infection between neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and HIV/AIDS.

The presence of NTDs can impact the progression or initial infection of the disease.  For example, a particular type of schistosomiasis, known as female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) has unique repercussions for women and their reproductive health.  More than 100 million women and young girls in Africa potentially suffer from this form of schistosomiasis, which causes painful legions.  These legions provide channels for the HIV virus to infect a woman with FGS. This can lead to a threefold increase in contracting HIV/AIDS.

Furthermore, intestinal worms burden the immune system resulting in a decreased response to T-cell treatment in individual infected with worms.

In response to the hazardous connection between NTDs and HIV/AIDS, the Global Network co-chaired a panel at the 2012 International AIDS Conference.  The panel, entitled “Effective Solutions to Combat HIV: Increasing Evidence of the Impact of Neglected Tropical Disease on HIV Transmission and Disease Progression”, addressed the need for the two global health communities to work together in order to increase the efficiency and impact of these programs.

To read more about the link between NTDs and HIV/AIDS, go to the Huffington Post article The 8 Cent Solution to Improving Women’s Health in Africa written by Sabin president, Dr. Peter Hotez.

 

This past spring, Sevenly.org partnered with the END7 campaign and raised over $22,000. This was one of the most successful campaigns Sevenly featured this year, and the donations were used to treat and protect thousands of people from NTDs in Sierra Leone.

Sevenly designs and sells clothing to promote chosen charitable causes. This week, they are featuring the top selling charities, one a day for seven days, as part of their 7 Days of Christmas event!

Sevenly will once again feature END7 today for only 24 hours – from 1pm EDT on Friday, November 30 to 1pm EDT on Saturday, December 1. Our best selling “Love Starts Now” shirt will be available in limited edition colors.  It’s the perfect opportunity to do some holiday shopping for your friends and family, and $7 from each item sold will be donated to END7.

Even better, each $7 donation we receive from the sale of the first 1,000 shirts will be matched!  So, if it costs only $0.50 to treat one person for seven diseases each year, the donation from your T-shirt purchase will help to treat 28 people.  A holiday gift that has the power to change 28 lives – is there anything better than that?!

 

This week, three noteworthy articles on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) appeared in the Guardian and the Washington post. More and more, NTDs are pushing their way into the forefront of global health and development news. These three articles highlight the public and private efforts that are making this possible.

Preventing blindness in South Sudan

A slideshow featured on Monday in the Guardian  captures the Malaria Consortium’s Neglected Tropical Disease Programme trachoma treatment and prevention effors in large areas of South Sudan.  This project was funded by the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID).  The photographer, Jen Warren, depicts a rural community in South Sudan where these diseases are endemic, and the impact trachoma hason people’s daily lives. The slideshow highlights the great efforts put forward to both prevent and treat trachoma.

Global partners in fighting disease

In this Washington Post article, author William Foege discusses the influence the pharmaceutical industry has had on the fight to eliminate NTDs. He provides a brief historical background into the past 15 years of pharmaceutical engagement and treatment donations, giving rise to a new field known as pharmaco-philanthropy.

Putting neglected tropical diseases under spotlight

The Guardian’s Emilie Filou explored how NTDs have progressed on the global health agenda, including improved partnerships hygiene initiatives and the need for further interaction between the two.  She talks about the progress made since the London Declaration, and future plans to engage private donors in country.  Global Network director, Dr. Neeraj Mistry, is quoted in the article discussing the END7 campaign and the benefit of engaging celebrities and the general public in a field that has previously been extremely scientific.