Category Archives: integration

The Link between HIV and NTDs: Global Network Co-Hosts a Panel at the International AIDS Conference

integration

On Wednesday, July 25, the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases co-chaired a panel at the 2012 International AIDS Conference, addressing the link between NTDs and HIV/AIDS. The session, entitled “Effective Solutions to Combat HIV: Increasing Evidence of the Impact of Neglected Tropical Diseases on HIV Transmission and Disease Progression,” was well-attended by researchers and other conference delegates.

Dr. Neeraj Mistry, Managing Director of the Global Network, was delighted to share the stage with a distinguished selection of panelists, including:

  • Dr. Christoph Benn, Director for the External Relations and Partnerships Cluster for the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria
  • Dr. Lee Hall, Chief of the Parasitology and International Programs Branch, National Institute for AIDS and Infectious Diseases
  • Dr. Pontiano Kaleebu, Director of MRC/UNRI Uganda Research Unit on AIDS
  • Dr. Astrid-Christina Koch, Science Counsellor at the Delegation of the European Union to the United States, Dr. Lee Hall, Chief of the Parasitology and International Programs
  • Dr. Hiro Nakatani, Assistant Director-General of the World Health Organization
  • Dr. Guiseppe Pantaleo, Chief of the Division of Immunology and Allergy at University of Lausanne
  • Dr. Maria Aparecida Shikanai-Yasuda, Faculty of Medicine at University of Sao Paulo

During the workshop, members of the panel presented current research that has been conducted in Uganda and Brazil suggesting pathogenic links between NTDs such as schistosomiasis, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis and HIV transmission and disease progression. Nearly all of the speakers addressed the potential impact NTD control could have on the HIV/AIDS epidemic and strongly emphasized the need for further research. Continue reading →

Neglected Tropical Diseases and the Festival of Ideas

Africa, hookworm, integration, policy, schistosomiasis

Yesterday, the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases, in partnership with the Embassy of South Africa, hosted a panel called “Integrated Approaches to Health and Development through NTD Control.”

The panel discussion was a part of larger event hosted by the Embassy of South Africa, called “Thought Leadership for the African Health Agenda.”  The Embassy is hosting similar events to spur ideas throughout 2012, as a part of their “2012 Festival of Ideas.”

The Global Network’s Managing Director, Dr. Neeraj Mistry, moderated the panel and hopes the discussion will improve awareness of and support for solutions to NTDs, diseases that have often been “hidden in the shadows.”

The panelists, Dr. Peter Hotez, President of the Sabin Vaccine Institute; Dr. Jennifer Kates, Vice President and Director of HIV Policy, Kaiser Family Foundation; and Dr. Ok Pannenborg, Former Chief Health Advisor, World Bank Group, shared their perspectives on NTDs, including the health impacts and existing treatments, the U.S. government’s approach, and the role of health systems. Continue reading →

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and the HIV prevention agenda

integration, NTDs

In case you missed it, Harvard researchers Jennifer Manne and Karolina Maciag recently wrote a great piece on the need for NTD integration into the HIV prevention research agenda. The correspondence, which appeared in last month’s issue of The Lancet, quotes data published last year by Peter Hotez et al.

While the authors applaud efforts to map out strategies for controlling the HIV/AIDS epidemic, they point out that NTD control will need to be addressed to eventually break the HIV transmission cycle. Research has shown that there is significant geographical overlap between HIV infection and NTDs, and certain NTDs substantially increase the risk of HIV infection and transmission. Also, it has been shown that NTD treatment can reduce HIV viral load. It is clear that as the global health community finds more evidence of the connection between HIV and NTDs, so grows the need for coordinated control efforts.