What do we know about neglected tropical diseases?

In May 2013, the 66th World Health Assembly was conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The assembly resolved to intensify and integrate measures against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and to plan investments to improve the health and social well-being of affected populations. Since then, the WHO is working in collaboration with its member states to ensure the implementation of this resolution.

Neglected tropical diseases are a diverse group of communicable diseases that originate in tropical and subtropical conditions in 149 countries and affect more than one billion people. These affect third world countries the most economically, costing them billions of dollars every year. These are called so because impact largely falls on the people living in poverty, without bare minimum sanitation and in close contact with infectious vectors and domestic animals and livestock. Dengue, lymphatic filariasis, trachoma, and leishmaniasis fall under this category.

In 2016, the WHO listed 20 NTDs or groups of NTDs in its portfolio. Research into the more subtle and indirect consequences of NTDs has further revealed that beyond condemning affected people to live long years with disability and stigma, they keep children out of school, adults out of work, burden households with considerable costs to seek health care and trap communities in endless cycles of poverty.

Dana Klug, a graduate student at the Northeastern University, with the help of Michael Pollastri, a professor from the departments of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, had targeted research to develop drugs that could potentially help in the treatment of Human African Trypanosomiasis, an NTD. This disease is a dangerous type of sleeping sickness caused by Tsetse flies and affects thousands across rural Africa. Like Klug, several medical researchers from all over the world are committed to the development of similar drugs to help in the treatment of other NTDs. However, it remains a challenge for them to develop a common approach to the 20 different and complex NTDs.

Harman Singh