Neglected Tropical Diseases: an Overview

According to a recent report by the World Health Organisation, 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 by 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 worm disease), echinococcosis, foodborne trematodiases, human African trypanosomiasis, (sleeping sickness), leishmaniasis, lymphatic filariasis, mycetoma,, chromoblastomycosis, and other deep mycoses, onchocerciasis (river blindness), rabies, scabies, and other ectopararsitoses, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiases, snakebite envenoming, taeniasis/cysticercosis, trachoma, yaws, and other endemic treponematose.

 

Wondering why they go by the name neglected?  Well, this is simply because they are almost absent from the global health agenda. 

NTDs are mostly associated with LMICs where the return on investment is deemed too low by the pharmaceutical industry. As a result, very few would want to invest so much time and money to produce drugs that do not bring sufficient economic returns. Hence the neglect. 

What then is the way forward? As NTDs continue to blight the lives of many, it is essential that we double our efforts in this fight.  How can this be done?

• Through preventive chemotherapy: the pharmaceutical industry should manufacture many more therapeutic agents and more donations should be made to support this cause.  AI/ML are relatively cheaper and less time-consuming ways of developing new drugs to fight against NTDs.
• Through vector control: most NTDs are vector-borne diseases.
• Provision of safe water: most germs breed in dirty water.
• Sanitation and hygiene: poor sanitary conditions play a major role in the transmission of NTDs.
• Finally, intensified case management.