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Introduction to the Neglected Tropical Diseases: the Ancient Afflictions of Stigma and Poverty, Page 1 of 2
< Previous page Next page > /docserver/preview/fulltext/10.1128/9781555818753/9781555818746_Chap01-1.gif /docserver/preview/fulltext/10.1128/9781555818753/9781555818746_Chap01-2.gifAbstract:
The health impact of the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) reflects their chronic and disabling features. But there are also educational and socioeconomic consequences that may even be greater. Neglect occurs at many different levels: at the community level because the NTDs arouse fear and inflict stigmas, at the national level because the NTDs occur in remote and rural areas and are often a low priority for health ministers, and at the international level because they are not perceived as global health threats. Despite their global importance, we so far have no Bono equivalent to champion the plight of the 1 billion of the world’s poorest people who suffer from NTDs, and the total dollars thus far committed to NTD control are currently measured in the millions, not the billions. Fortunately, this picture of neglect may one day turn an important corner, in part because of a new resolve by the WHO and national ministries of health, together with several key public-private partnerships dedicated to NTD control. The world’s most influential finance ministers and policymakers have begun to regard improvements in global health as an important tool for poverty reduction.