Trachoma is the leading infectious cause of blindness (2). It is characterized by repeated
conjunctival infection with particular strains of Chlamydia trachomatis. This scars the conjunctivae and,
in some cases, leads to trichiasis with or without entropion. The abrasive action of eyelashes can
d...amage the cornea. In 2018, trachoma affected the poorest residents of the poorest communities of 43
countries
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Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease that is transmitted by sandflies and caused by obligate intracellular protozoa of the genus Leishmania. Human infection is caused by about 21 of 30 species that infect mammals. These include the L. donovani complex with 3 species (L. donovani, L. infantum, and... L. chagasi); the L. mexicana complex with 3 main species (L. mexicana, L. amazonensis, and L. venezuelensis); L. tropica; L. major; L. aethiopica; and the subgenus Viannia with 4 main species (L. (V.) braziliensis, L. (V.) guyanensis, L. (V.) panamensis, and L. (V.) peruviana). The different species are morphologically indistinguishable, but they can be differentiated by isoenzyme analysis, molecular methods, or monoclonal antibodies.
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Education and information about Chagas Disease, Triatomine bugs, Kissing Bugs, fact sheets, information for special groups, prevention and control, epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment for Health Professionals.
This article considers the current public health perspective on cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and its implications for incidence, prevalence, and global burden of disease calculations. CL is the most common form of leishmaniasis and one of a small number of infectious diseases increasing in incidence... worldwide [1] due to conflict and environmental factors in the Middle East (“Old World”) and the Americas (“New World”)—regions where it is most prevalent.
Recently, the disease has reached hyperendemic levels in the conflict zones of the Syrian Arab Republic, Iraq, and Afghanistan while simultaneously affecting refugees from those regions . Nevertheless, CL is not seen as a priority for policymakers because it is not life limiting. This is evidenced by a lack of commitment in recent years to preventive campaigns and patient provision (limited diagnostic capacity, knowledge of treatment, drug availability) in a number
of endemic countries.
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American cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a severely understudied and neglected“disease of poverty” widespread throughout Peru. Transmission dynamics of CL are complex, requiring sandfly vectors and mammalian reservoir hosts to maintain the pathogen in a local environment whereby incidental hosts... (people) can become infected. We employed a One-Health approach to understand CL transmission in rapidly changing region of northern Peru. We describe the characteristics of 529 CL positive patients from four participating clinics. Using conditional logistic regression, we assessed risk factors of CL for residents of small urban areas through a matched case-control study with 63 patients who had visited one of the same clinics for CL (cases) or other medical reasons (controls). We later enrolled 343 households as part of a community based study occurring in 15 urban and rural areas of Soritor. We
found 256 positive humans (n= 914) as tested via the Montenegro Skin Test; we found 11 positive dogs (n = 236) via an immunofluorescence antibody test. Our results suggest that most- if not all- of CL transmission is occurring in rural areas and that urban women and urban children engage in many high risk activities typically attributed to men. We find evidence that prevalence of past infection is highest among rural residents and men. We believe dogs are unlikely Leishmania reservoirs in either rural or urban settings. It remains unknown if the high number of MST positive children in rural areas is a result of peridomestic or intradomestic transmission.
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Leishmaniasis is a major vector-borne disease caused by obligate intramacrophage protozoa of the genus Leishmania, and transmitted by the bite of phlebotomine female sand flies of the genera Phlebotomus and Lutzomyia, in the old and new worlds, respectively. Among 20 well-recognized Leishmania speci...es known to infect humans, 18 have zoonotic nature, which include agents of visceral, cutaneous, and mucocutaneous forms of the disease, in both the old and new worlds. Currently, leishmaniasis show a wider geographic distribution and increased global incidence. Environmental, demographic and human behaviors contribute to the changing landscape for zoonotic cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis. The primary reservoir hosts of Leishmania are sylvatic mammals such as forest rodents, hyraxes and wild canids, and dogs are the most important species among domesticated animals in the epidemiology of this disease. These parasites have two basic life cycle stages: one extracellular stage within the invertebrate host (phlebotomine sand fly), and one intracellular stage within a vertebrate host. Co-infection with HIV intensifies the burden of visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis by causing severe forms and more difficult to manage. The disease is endemic to Ethiopia, and the clinical signs are not pathognomic. The visceral form (Kala-azar) may be confused with other similar conditions such as malaria, tropical splenomegaly, schistosomiasis, milliary tuberculosis, and brucellosis. Similarly, cutaneous leishmaniasis should be differentiated from disease like tropical ulcers, impetigo and leprosy. There are several methods of laboratory diagnosis of leishmaniasis, including parasitological, immunological and molecular. Different forms of treatments are available including oral, parenteral, and topical medications such as pentavalent antimonials, liposomal amphotericin B, miltefosine and paromomycin. Methods of control are largely limited to destruction of animal reservoirs, treatment of infected humans, and management of sand fly populations. Development of an effective vaccine against leishmaniasis has been largely unsuccessful and hinders its prevention.
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Last accessed on 05.03.2023
Snakebite envenoming affects millions of people worldwide annually and is a significant source of mortality. Preventing and treating the problem is complex and requires collaboration among the fields of public health, medicine, ecology, and laboratory science. After being removed from the category A... neglected tropical disease (NTD) list in 2013, snakebite envenoming was reinstated in 2017 in response to antivenom shortages and advocacy from researchers and international NGOs. In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) set a target to halve the number of deaths and cases of snakebite envenoming by 2030.
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Accessed on 07.03.2023
A – Z of Rabies – A guide to the world´s deadliest disease
Mission Rabies
In their 2015 declaration "Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development", Member States pledged to end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases by 2030, and to combat hepatitis and other communicable diseases. This report reviews progress an...d challenges in the global response to reduce the burden of these diseases in the context of the Millennium Development Goals, and looks ahead to identify the strategies and approaches that will be needed to accelerate progress during the new development era. The report was developed by WHO's Cluster for HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases in 2015.
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Le Cadre d’action régional vise à aider les États Membres, l’OMS et tous les autres donateurs et partenaires à travailler ensemble pour remédier systématiquement et progressivement aux diverses faiblesses relevées dans les principaux domaines programmatiques et/ou de contribuer à renforc...er les composantes pertinentes des systèmes de santé, de façon à fournir un accès universel et équitable aux
interventions et aux services essentiels liés aux MTN, notamment pour les populations marginalisées et peu accessibles, et à parvenir rapidement à la maîtrise et à l’élimination des MTN.
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No vaccines or drugs to prevent infection are available. The best way for travelers to prevent infection is to protect themselves from sand fly bites. To decrease the risk of being bitten, follow these preventive measures:
Avoid outdoor activities, especially from dusk to dawn, when sand flies ge...nerally are the most active.
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The results of a large-scale systematic review and meta-analysis have published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. This research aimed to collate all reported serious adverse events (SAE) in visceral leishmaniasis (VL) clinical trials and quantify the incidence of mortality during the first 30 day...s of therapy. The analyses, which included clinical data from more than 35,000 patients, found that mortality following treatment was an extremely rare event and serious adverse events following treatments were poorly reported.
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Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents a major threat to human health with significant global economic and security implications. In 2015, WHO Member States unanimously approved a Global Action Plan to tackle AMR (GAP-AMR). The goal of GAP-AMR is “to ensure, for as long as possible, continuity ...of successful treatment and prevention of infectious diseases with effective and safe medicines that are quality-assured, used in a responsible way, and accessible to all who need them”.
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Websites last accessed on 24.03.2023
Education and information about Leishmaniasis prevention and control.
Websites last accessed on 24.03.2023
A parasite is an organism that lives on or in a host and gets its food from or at the expense of its host. Parasites can cause disease in humans.
Website last accessed on 24.03.2023
A parasite is an organism that lives on or in a host and gets its food from or at the expense of its host. Parasites can cause disease in humans.
Website last accessed on 24.03.2023
Education and information about Soil-Transmitted Helminths including Human Hookworm, Roundworm and Whipworm.
Website last accessed on 24.03.2023
A parasite is an organism that lives on or in a host and gets its food from or at the expense of its host. Parasites can cause disease in humans.
Website last accessed in 24.03.2023
CDC provides continuing education for professionals involved in rabies prevention and control. While CDC provides some resources directly, others are offered through partnerships and collaborations with other public health entities. This page contains a collec...tion of course notifications, education materials, and continuing education courses related to rabies prevention and control.
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