Neglected Diseasey
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Neglected Disease
More than 1 billion men, women and children are affected by neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), including leprosy and Buruli ulcer. These diseases affect the poorest and most marginalized people and can lead to:
- Profound pain and suffering
- Malnutrition
- Lifelong disabilities
- Increased poverty
- Stigma and isolation
Disabilities caused by Leprosy
- Buruli ulcer
- lymphatic filariasis (also known as elephantiasis)
- yaws
- leishmaniasis
- trachoma
- Human African Trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness)
Buruli Ulcer
- Caused by bacteria related to leprosy
- Can eat flesh and sometimes bone
- Can cause deformity, disability, permanent scarring and fatal infections
- 50% of victims are under the age of 15
- Cure: 8 weeks of antibiotics
- Severe cases require surgery and skin grafts
- Affected people are often ostracized
- Thousands of cases in 30 countries, mainly in West Africa
Lymphatic Filariasis (Elephantiasis)
- Caused by parasites carried by mosquitoes
- Can lead to severe lower limb swelling
- 36-40 million people disabled
- Increased poverty
- Cure: Single doses of two medicines
Yaws
- Caused by bacteria spread person to person
- Causes skin ulcers
- 75-80% people affected are children
- 60,000 cases reported per year
- Cure: Single dose of antibiotic
Leishmaniasis
- Caused by parasites carried by sand flies
- 1 million new cases per year
- Can cause skin lesions
- Can be cured
Trachoma
- Caused by bacteria carried by people and flies
- Affects eyes
- 1.9 million people blind or visually impaired
- Cured with antibiotics
Human African Trypanosomiasis (Sleeping Sickness)
- Caused by parasites carried by the tsetse fly
- 2,804 new cases reported in 2015, most in DR Congo
- Neurological damage can lead to changes of behavior, confusion and disturbance of the sleep cycle
- Complex treatment involving five drugs