MUMJ Vol 9 v2 May 16

INTRODUCING THE NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES Over the past two centuries, advances in the understanding of communicable diseases have led to considerable reductions in their global burden. Due to advances in sanitation, germ theory, vaccination, antimicrobial drugs, and other factors, infectious disease is no longer the leading cause of death in the developed world.1 In poor areas of the world, however, infectious disease persists as a major cause of morbidity and mortality.1,2 portion of the global infectious disease burden can be attributed to a group of poorly understood tropical infections, collectively known as the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). The NTDs are a diverse group of chronic and debilitating infections, linked by their high prevalence in impoverished and marginalized communities, their overlapping geographic distribution, and their capacity to cause physical disability 3 International health organizations have designated 13 conditions, including ten parasitic and three bacterial infections, as the core NTDs though many other tropical infections share similar characteristics (Table 1).4-7 Transmission of these diseases occurs in areas of poor sanitation through contaminated food, water, and soil, as well as through bites from arthropod vectors that thrive in tropical climates.4 The consequences of these infections are not only medical, but also economic and social.8,9 cant global burden, the control of the NTDs is hampered by a lack of awareness of their existence and impact, and by limited efforts to develop and implement effective treatments.