Blogpost-Ersilia-NTDs_Lowe_Yvana

 Neglected Tropical Diseases: an Overview According to a recent report by the World Health Organisatio n, more than  one billion   people are afflicted with one or more  neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in 149 countries.  This represents about one-eighth of the world's population.  Moreover, over  35,000 deaths  can be attributed to NTDs on  a  daily basis . This translates to about   24 deaths/minute.  In other words, 24 people die of an NTD every minute.  Before we go further, let's take a look into what NTDs are all about. As the WHO puts it "NTDs are a diverse group of conditions mainly prevalent in tropical areas and impoverished communities that cause substantial illness". They are caused b y 4 classes of pathogens including viruses, parasites, protozoa, and helminths. So far, about 20 NTDs have been identified and they are,   Buruli ulcer, Chagas disease, dengue and chikungunya, dracunculiasis (Guinea ...