Neglected tropical diseases blight the lives of a billion people worldwide and threaten the health of millions more. These close companions of poverty weaken impoverished populations, frustrate the achievement of health in the Millennium Development Goals and impede global public health outcomes.
Dengue fever is a virus infection that is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito and can cause severe disease especially in children. Dengue fever is a major problem in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world.
National malaria death rates are difficult to assess because reliably diagnosed malaria is likely to be cured, and deaths in the community from undiagnosed malaria could be misattributed in retrospective enquiries to other febrile causes of death, or vice-versa.
India continues to rank very high in the prevalence of neglected tropical diseases like dengue, rabies and soil-transmitted helminthiases, according to a report released by the World Health Organisation on Thursday.
The first WHO report presents evidence to demonstrate that activities undertaken to prevent and control neglected tropical diseases are producing results - and that achievements are being recognized.
In 2009, WHO brought together 24 experts to assess schemes and innovative proposals that could encourage much-needed research and development into drugs for neglected diseases. The final report by the Expert Working Group (EWG) was due to be rubber-stamped at the 63rd World Health Assembly, held in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 17
Dar es Salaam has an extensive drain network, mostly with inadequate water flow, blocked by waste, causing flooding after rainfall. The presence of Anopheles and Culex larvae is common, which is likely to impact the transmission of lymphatic filariasis and malaria by the resulting adult mosquito populations. However, the importance of drains as larval habitats remains unknown.
