A major objective of this open access book is to summarize the current status of Buruli Ulcer (BU) research for the first time. It will identify gaps in our knowledge, stimulate research and support control of the disease by providing insight into approaches for surveillance, diagnosis, and treatmen...t of Buruli Ulcer. Book chapters will cover the history, epidemiology diagnosis, treatment and disease burden of BU and provide insight into the microbiology, genomics, transmission and virulence of Mycobacterium ulcerans. ; Supports further investigation by summarizing state of the art in the field of Buruli ulcer research Enriches understanding of epidemiology of Buruli ulcer in different geographic regions Reviews exhaustively the characteristics of Mycobacterium ulcerans disease
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The WHF IASC Roadmap proposes strategies and evidence-based solutions for healthcare professionals, health authorities and governments to help overcome the barriers to comprehensive care for Chagas disease patients. This roadmap describes an ideal patient care pathway, and explores the roadblocks al...ong the way, offering potential solutions based on available research and examples in practice. It represents a call to action to decision-makers and health care professionals to step up efforts to eradicate Chagas disease.
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Rev. Panam Salud Publica. 2017;41:e153. doi: 10.26633/RPSP.2017.153
Worldwide, over 6 million people are infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, the pathogen that causes Chagas disease (CD). In the Americas, CD creates the greatest burden in disability-adjusted life years of any parasitic infection. In Co...lombia, 437 000 people are infected with T. cruzi, of whom 131 000 suffer from cardiomyopathy. Colombia’s annual costs for treating patients with advanced CD reach US$ 175 016 000. Although timely etiological treatment can significantly delay or prevent development of cardiomyopathy—and costs just US$ 30 per patient—fewer than 1% of people with CD in Colombia and elsewhere receive it.
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The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply the expression
of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the World Health Organization concerning the legal status
of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its f...rontiers or boundaries. Dotted lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not
yet be full agreement.The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply the expression
of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the World Health Organization concerning the legal status
of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers
or boundaries. Dotted lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not
yet be full agreement.
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People with Guinea worm disease (GWD) have no symptoms for about 1 year. Then, the person begins to feel ill. Symptoms can include the following:
Slight fever
Itchy rash
Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Dizziness
A blister then develops. This blister can form anywhere on the skin. However, the blis...ter forms on the lower body parts in 80%–90% of cases. This blister gets bigger over several days and causes a burning pain. The blister eventually ruptures, exposing the worm. The infected person may put the affected body part in cool water to ease the symptoms or may enter water to perform daily tasks, such as fetching drinking water. On contact with water, the worm discharges hundreds of thousands of larvae into the water.
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About a year after infection, a painful blister forms – 90% of the time on the lower leg – and one or more worms emerge accompanied by a burning sensation. To soothe the burning pain, patients often immerse the infected part of the body in water. The worm(s) then releases thousands of larvae (ba...by worms) into the water. These larvae reach the infective stage after being ingested by tiny crustaceans or copepods, also called water fleas.
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People who accidentally swallow the eggs of the Echinococcus granulosus tapeworm are at risk for infection. Dogs that eat home-slaughtered sheep and other livestock become infected with the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus and the tapeworm eggs can be found in their stool. Direct contact with infect...ed dogs, particularly intimate contact between children and their pet dogs, may lead to human infection. Ingestion of soil, water and vegetables contaminated with infected dog feces may also lead to infections. Echinococcus granulosus eggs can survive snow and freezing conditions.
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Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease with epidemic potential, especially after a heavy rainfall,
caused by a bacterium called Leptospira. Leptospira interrogans is pathogenic to humans and
animals, with more than 200 serologic variants or serovars. Humans usually acquire
leptospirosis through dire...ct contact with the urine of infected animals or a urine-contaminated
environment. Human-to-human transmission occurs only very rarely. Leptospirosis may present
with a wide variety of clinical manifestations, from a mild illness that may progress to a serious
and sometimes fatal disease. Its symptoms may mimic many diseases, such as influenza,
dengue and other viral haemorrhagic diseases; making the correct diagnosis (clinical and
laboratory) at the onset of symptoms is important to prevent severe cases and save lives,
primarily in outbreak situations.
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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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Accessed on 07.03.2023
A – Z of Rabies – A guide to the world´s deadliest disease
Mission Rabies
Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease with a wide variety of parasite species, reservoirs, and vectors involved in transmission. It is caused by different species of the protozoa Leishmania and is transmitted to animals and humans through a bite of insects in the Psychodidae family. Its presence i...s directly linked to poverty, but social, environmental, and climatalogic factors directly influence the disease's epidemiology.
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Website last accessed on 18.03.2023
Education and information about ascariasis, including fact sheets and information on prevention and control, epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment.
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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A century after its discovery, Chagas' disease still represents a major public health challenge in Latin America. Moreover, because of growing population movements, an increasing number of cases of imported Chagas' disease have now been detected in non-endemic areas, such as North America and some E...uropean countries. This parasitic zoonosis, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is transmitted to humans by infected Triatominae insects, or occasionally by non-vectorial mechanisms, such as blood transfusion, mother to fetus, or oral ingestion of materials contaminated with parasites. Following the acute phase of the infection, untreated individuals enter a chronic phase that is initially asymptomatic or clinically unapparent. Usually, a few decades later, 40-50% of patients develop progressive cardiomyopathy and/or motility disturbances of the oesophagus and colon. In the last decades several interventions targeting primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of Chagas' disease have been attempted. While control of both vectorial and blood transfusion transmission of T cruzi (primary prevention) has been successful in many regions of Latin America, early detection and aetiological treatment of asymptomatic subjects with Chagas' disease (secondary prevention) have been largely underutilised. At the same time, in patients with established chronic disease, several pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions are currently available and have been increasingly used with the intention of preventing or delaying complications of the disease (tertiary prevention). In this review we discuss in detail each of these issues.
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This document provides technical guidance on concepts, definitions, indicators, criteria, milestones and tools to assist leprosy programmes in their journey towards the goals of interruption of transmission and elimination of leprosy disease and through the post-elimination period. Importantly, it p...rovides criteria with benchmarks, where possible, for all key aspects of leprosy programmes and services. Not only those related to elimination efforts, but also those related to diagnosis and management of leprosy, leprosy-related disabilities, mental wellbeing, stigma and discrimination and inclusion and participation of persons affected by leprosy. The document emphasises that the elimination of leprosy is a long-term, continuous journey on the one hand, while, on the other, clear milestones can be recognised on the way and programme implementation can be assessed against benchmarks, guiding appropriate action to keep the programme on track.
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