Chapter 1 : Introduction to the Neglected Tropical Diseases

Abstract:

The neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are among the most common infections of the world’s poorest people, those living on less than US$2 per day. The core group of the 13 major so-called NTDs is listed in the chapter. They include the major parasitic worm infections of humans, such as ascariasis (roundworm infection), hookworm infection, trichuriasis (whipworm infection), lymphatic filariasis (LF or elephantiasis), schistosomiasis (snail fever), onchocerciasis (river blindness), and dracunculiasis (guinea worm infection); an important group of infections caused by single-celled protozoan parasites such as Chaga's disease, leishmaniasis, and human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness); and some atypical bacterial infections, such as trachoma and the mycobacterial infections (Buruli ulcer and leprosy). Approximately one-fourth of the poorest 2.7 billion people suffer from ascariasis, trichuriasis, or hookworm infection, parasitic worm infections that are transmitted through the contaminated warm and moist soil of tropical developing countries (and are known as the “soil-transmitted helminth infections”), while roughly 1 in 10 of the world’s poorest people suffers from schistosomiasis. The chapter summarizes the common features of the major NTDs, all of which adversely affect the health and socioeconomic status of the world’s poorest people. The health impact of the NTDs reflects their chronic and disabling features. But there are also educational and socioeconomic consequences that may even be greater.