Noma (cancrum oris) is a serious gangrenous disease of the mouth and face, mainly affecting children aged 2 to 6 years in sub-Saharan Africa.
Despite substantial knowledge gaps, it is reported to be linked with malnutrition, poor oral hygiene, immunosuppression, and living in extreme poverty situ...ations.
This course addresses epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, and public health considerations, including the human rights perspective of noma.
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Schistosomiasis is widely recognized as a disease that is socially determined. An understanding of the social and behavioural factors linked to disease transmission and control should play a vital role in designing policies and strategies for schistosomiasis prevention and control. To this must be a...dded the awareness that schistosomiasis is also a disease of poverty. It still survives in poverty-stricken, remote areas where there is little or no safe water or sanitation, and health care is scarce or non-existent. For a variety of complex reasons, many of which are addressed in this book, the disease is particularly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, and persists in certain areas of rural China. This concern for human behaviour in an environment of poverty echoes the concerns of the new research priority for “diseases of poverty” identified by the Special Programme for Research & Training in Tropical Diseases.
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Dracunculiasis (Guinea worm disease), caused by the parasite Dracunculus medinensis, is traditionally acquired by drinking water containing copepods (water fleas) infected with D. medinensis larvae, but in recent years also appears increasingly to be transmitted by eating fish or other aquatic anima...ls. The worm typically emerges through the skin on a lower limb of the host 1 year after infection, causing pain and disability.
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Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease caused by intracellular protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania (Trypanosomatidae family); it is endemic in more than 98 countries worldwide [1]. Visceral (VL) and cutaneous (CL) leishmaniasis are the most common forms of the disease. VL causes a systemic dis...ease characterised by fever, hepatosplenomegaly, anaemia and lymph node enlargement and may be fatal without appropriate treatment, while CL mainly causes skin ulcers and is considered a less severe form of the disease [2]. The incubation period for VL varies from 10 days up to nearly 3 years and for CL from 2 weeks to 3 years [3]. The natural route of transmission is a bite of blood-feeding phlebotomine sandflies; it may be zoonotic or anthroponotic, depending on the parasite species and the geographical location
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Onchocerciasis causes skin and eye disease, visual impairment and neurological problems. It is mostly found in Africa, but also in Latin America and Yemen. The common name, ‘river blindness,’ gives a good indication where the disease can be found: the vector of the parasite, a small black fly of... the Simulium species, breeds in rivers where there is turbulence in the water, such as rapids, or where the flow is disturbed by overhanging vegetation.
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Leishmaniasis is a complex vector-borne disease involving in its transmission several species of protozoan parasites called Leishmania, a wide variety of animal reservoirs and phlebotomine sandflies vectors. Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is the most common form of the disease, and its clinical manife...stations vary from few papules to multiple ulcers affecting the skin but also the mucous membranes, leaving permanent scars and serious disability. It is a disfiguring and stigmatizing disease that often has a devastating psychosocial and economic impact on the affected resources limited communities.
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High prevalence of target diseases in rural and developing nations, increased prevalence of malnutrition across the globe, lack of hygiene and poor sanitation facilities, Migratory patterns of population, introduction of new chemical entity in the field of therapeutics, favorable government regulati...ons, and increased R&D investments are key factors contributing to high CAGR of point of care diagnostics market during the forecast period.
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Mycetoma is a specific chronic, granulomatous, inflammatory disease. It usually involves the subcutaneous tissue, most probably after traumatic inoculation of the causative organism. It has a prolonged, progressive, and indolent course, and, if untreated, it ultimately leads to destruction of the de...eper tissues and bone, resulting in deformity and disability that may necessitate amputation of the affected parts with all the social and economic implications of this. The disease is characterized by tumefaction, draining sinuses, and the presence of grains.
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Burden of T. solium: Neurocysticercosis is a disease induced by T. solium larvae penetrating human tissues, especially the nervous system. Neurocysticercosis burdens economies, societies and individuals because of the impact of epilepsy on wages, health costs and social stigmatization of sufferers. ...Health systems are also burdened as treatments must be tailored to individual needs.
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Schistosomiasis is widely recognized as a disease that is socially determined. An
understanding of the social and behavioural factors linked to disease transmission and
control should play a vital role in designing policies and strategies for schistosomiasis
prevention and control. To this must b...e added the awareness that schistosomiasis is
also a disease of poverty. It still survives in poverty-stricken, remote areas where there
is little or no safe water or sanitation, and health care is scarce or non-existent. For
a variety of complex reasons, many of which are addressed in this book, the disease
is particularly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, and persists in certain areas of rural
China. This concern for human behaviour in an environment of poverty echoes the
concerns of the new research priority for “diseases of poverty” identified by the
Special Programme for Research & Training in Tropical Diseases.
more
Rabies is a fatal zoonotic disease most often transmitted to people via bites from infected dogs. This course provides a general introduction to rabies, and the One Health approach currently taken to prevent it. It consists of seven video-lectures, demonstration videos, and lessons learnt from peopl...e who work at the frontline of rabies elimination programmes around the world. It targets both a general audience and those who would like to learn more about rabies and the pathway to eliminating this disease – like prospective and current public health and animal health practitioners in rabies endemic countries.
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Clin Microbiol Infect 2010; 16: 225–231 Abstract In non-endemic countries, acute (invasive) schistosomiasis (AS) is typically seen in non-immune travellers, whereas chronic schistosomiasis is more frequently diagnosed in immigrants. Travellers with AS initially present with non-specific signs such... as fever, cough, headache, and urticaria. Life-threatening cardiac and neurological complications may occur. The positive diagnosis of AS relies on seroconversion, which appears together with hypereosinophilia approximately 3 weeks after the onset of symptoms. When prescribed during AS, praziquantel usually does not prevent the chronic phase of the disease and is associated with exacerbation of signs and symptoms in approximately 50% of cases. According to the published literature, corticosteroids may be recommended alone or in association with praziquantel. When associated with corticosteroids, pharmacokinetic interactions may impair the efficacy of praziquantel. We suggest that corticosteroids should be restricted to use in patients with systemic complications of AS, whereas praziquantel should be initiated only when ova are detected in either stools or urine, depending on the culprit species.
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Leishmaniasis is an infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus, Leishmania. Protozoa are microscopic, single-celled organisms. The parasites that cause the disease are transmitted to people through the bites of certain species of infected sand flies.
Visceral leishmaniasis is an important disease in East Africa where recurrent outbreaks occur. Leishmania-HIV coinfected people have high chance of developing the full-blown clinical disease, and high relapse and mortality rates. Poverty, malnutrition and population movements in endemic areas increa...se the risk of developing VL. Early diagnosis and effective prompt treatment reduce the prevalence of the disease and prevents disabilities and death. This course aims at providing health workers with the necessary knowledge to understand the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, surveillance and outbreak investigation of this important disease in East Africa.
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Website last accessed on 18.03.2023
WHO often receives requests from Member States and implementing partners to provide training in capacity‐building in endemic areas in order to better equip health personnel to diagnose, treat and control the disease.
Background: The human helminth infections include ascariasis, trichuriasis, hookworm infections, schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis (LF) and onchocerciasis. It is estimated that almost 2 billion people worldwide are infected with helminths. Whilst the WHO treatment guidelines for helminth infecti...ons are mostly aimed at controlling morbidity, there has been a recent shift with some countries moving towards goals of disease elimination through mass drug administration, especially for LF and onchocerciasis. However, as prevalence is driven lower, treating entire populations may no longer be the most efficient or cost-effective strategy. Instead, it may be beneficial to identify individuals or demographic groups who are persistently infected, often termed as being “predisposed” to infection, and target treatment at them.
Methods: The authors searched Embase, MEDLINE, Global Health, and Web of Science for all English language, humanbased papers investigating predisposition to helminth infections published up to October 31st, 2017. The varying definitions used to describe predisposition, and the statistical tests used to determine its presence, are summarised. Evidence for predisposition is presented, stratified by helminth species, and risk factors for predisposition to infection are identified and discussed.
Results: In total, 43 papers were identified, summarising results from 34 different studies in 23 countries. Consistent evidence of predisposition to infection with certain species of human helminth was identified. Children were regularly found to experience greater predisposition to Ascaris lumbricoides, Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium than adults. Females were found to be more predisposed to A. lumbricoides infection than were males. Household clustering of infection was identified for A. lumbricoides, T. trichiura and S. japonicum. Ascaris lumbricoides and T. trichiura also showed evidence of familial predisposition. Whilst strong evidence for predisposition to hookworm infection was identified, findings with regards to which groups were affected were considerably more varied than for other helminth species.
Conclusion: This review has found consistent evidence of predisposition to heavy (and light) infection for certain human helminth species. However, further research is needed to identify reasons for the reported differences between demographic groups. Molecular epidemiological methods associated with whole genome sequencing to determine ‘who infects whom’ may shed more light on the factors generating predisposition.
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Website last accessed on 09.04.2023
Human echinococcosis is a parasitic disease caused by tapeworms of the genus Echinococcus. More than one million people are affected by echinococcosis.
Congenital transmission of Chagas disease has not been extensively studied in Colombia, and there are no standardized processes in the health system regarding
the specific diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of this disease. To generate recommendations on congenital Chagas disease and Chagas in wom...en of childbearing
age in Colombia, a consensus of experts was developed. An extensive literature search through the Medline database was carried out using the MeSH terms:
«Chagas disease/congenital», «prevention and control», «diagnosis», «therapeutics» and «pregnancy». Appropriate abstracts were selected and the full texts were
analyzed. The relevant information was synthesized, classified, and organized into tables and figures and was presented to a panel of experts, which was composed
of 30 professionals from various fields. Based on the Delphi methodology, three rounds of consultation were conducted. The first and second rounds were based
on electronic questionnaires that measured the level of consensus of each question among the participants. The third round was based on a face-to-face discussion focusing on those questions without consensus in the previous consultations. The evidence was adapted to national circumstances on a case-by-case basis,
and the content the final document was approved. These recommendations are proposed for use in routine medical practice by health professionals in Colombia.
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Vector-borne diseases are responsible for 17% of the global burden of communicable diseases and more than 500 000 deaths annually. The ambitious global targets for the control of vector-borne diseases come in the context of the (re-)emergence of diseases, increasing resistances to insecticides and u...ncertainty related to the financing of global vector control efforts. The United Nations 2030 Agenda with its related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the New Urban Agenda adopted at the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III)
in Quito in 2016 and WHO’s Global vector control response 2017–2030 (WHO, 2017a) emphasize the value of elevating multisectoral actions and strategies that extend beyond the health sector to the core of integrated vector control.
This policy brief underlines the important role housing conditions have in the transmission of vector-borne diseases and showcases interventions and policies the housing sector can contribute to effective, integrated and intersectoral vector-borne diseases management.
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Website last accessed on 04.06.2023
Bites of infected female sand flies causes the disease. The visceral form attacks internal organs; the cutaneous form causes facial ulcers, disfiguring scars and disability. #BeatNTDs