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| Panorama of Seven Targeted Global Neglected Tropical DiseasesAscariasis is the most common human worm infection. Infection occurs worldwide and is most prevalent in tropical and subtropical areas where sanitation and hygiene are poor. The parasite lives in the small intestine and children are infected more often than adults. Adult female worms can grow over 12 inches in length, though adult males are smaller. This adversely affects childhood growth and physical fitness and impairs intellectual and cognitive development. There are 1.2 billion people infected with ascariasis and 60,000 deaths are attributed to the disease each year.  |   Hookworm | Hookworm infection is one of the most common infections of humans with approximately 740 million cases in the developing countries of the tropics. The worms' larvae enter the body through the skin, and mature as they travel to the small intestine. Adult worms attach to the wall of the small intestine and begin to feed. Children and women of reproductive age are the populations most vulnerable to hookworm-associated blood loss leading to iron-deficiency anemia and protein malnutrition. Consequently, hookworm infection is one of the most important parasitic maternal-child health problems in the world. It is estimated that hookworm causes a 40% reduction in future wage earnings. Trichuriasis is caused by a parasite called the human whipworm, a soil-transmitted worm. The worms' eggs enter the body on food or on hands that have come into contact with soil contaminated with the eggs. It is estimated that 800 million people are infected with the parasite and that 10,000 deaths result each year. The parasites' eggs hatch in the small intestine and attach to the large intestine, where they cause blood loss and deplete the host of nutrients. This adversely affects childhood growth and physical fitness and impairs intellectual and cognitive development. For more information, visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention site on Trichuriasis  |  Lymphatic Filariasis, more commonly known as elephantiasis, is a parasitic disease caused by thread-like microscopic worms. The disease affects over 120 million people in 80 countries throughout the tropics and sub-tropics and is carried from person to person by mosquitos. The adult worms live in the human lymph system, which maintains the body's fluid balance and fights infections. When the parasite dies, it blocks the lymph system, causing disfiguring swelling of legs, the scrotum and the breast. More than 20% of the world's population is living at risk of lymphatic filariasis, 120 million people are infected, and 40 million have clinical symptoms. It cannot be cured, but its spread, and future cases, can be prevented with delivery of drug combinations to populations where the disease is prevalent. For more, visit our partner, Lymphatic Filariasis Support Centre  Onchocerciasis | River blindness is an infection caused by a worm parasite, spread by bites from infected blackflies. It derives its name from the fact that transmission occurs most intensely in African villages near rapidly flowing streams. People with heavy infections usually have dermatitis, eye lesions, and/or subcutaneous nodules. Approximately 37 million people are estimated to be infected with onchocerciasis, of whom about 500,000 have visual impairment and 270,000 are blind. About 99% of those infected are in Africa; the remainder are in Yemen and six countries in the Americas. Onchocerciasis is effectively treated with the oral medicine Ivermectin. For more, visit our collaborator, African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control  Schistosomiasis, sometimes referred to as bilharzia, is caused by parasitic worms which penetrate the skin of people who swim in contaminated water. Approximately 200 million people are infected worldwide and some estimates are that more than 200,000 deaths result from schistosomiasis. Infection occurs when skin comes in contact with contaminated fresh water in which certain types of snails that carry schistosomes are living. Fresh water becomes contaminated by Schistosoma eggs when infected people urinate or defecate in the water. The worms live in the intestine, causing symptoms from blood in the urine to impaired growth, development, and performance. In severe cases, the infection leads to bladder cancer and kidney, liver, and spleen malfunction. For more, visit our partner, Schistosomiasis Control Initiative  |  |  Trachoma, the world's leading cause of preventable blindness, primarily affects rural populations with limited access to clean water and health care, and disproportionately impacts women and children. Eighty-four million people suffer from active infection and eight million individuals are visually impaired or irreversibly blind as a result of it. Founded in 1998, the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI) is leading the fight against trachoma by forging partnerships among governmental and nongovernmental organizations in Africa and Asia to eliminate the disease through implementation of the World Health Organization-approved, SAFE strategy-a comprehensive approach that employs surgery, antibiotics (via Pfizer's donation of Zithromax), facial cleanliness and environmental improvement (clean water and sanitation management) to address the underlying causes of the disease. Between 1999 and 2006, nearly 41 million antibiotic treatments have been administered, approximately 240,000 individuals have received sight-saving surgery and millions of people in endemic countries have benefited from health education and improved access to water and sanitation. In 2006, Morocco will mark the successful completion of its mass intervention campaign, while Ghana, Mauritania, Nepal and Vietnam remain on pace to complete their respective campaigns within the next five years. For more, visit our partner, International Trachoma Initiative |
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