Celebrating World NTD Day and Other NTD News

There is a significant decline in LF transmission in Masasi District after seven rounds of MDA. However, the presence of individuals who are persistently non-compliant may delay elimination of LF in the District.

Altogether, our work identifies B. malayi N-linked and GSL-glycan antigens and reveals antibody responses from the host that could be exploited as potential markers for LF.

The purpose of this review is to summarize current experimental pharmacological strategies in the treatment of lymphedema.

We argue that clinical trials are needed to investigate the safety and efficacy of ivermectin treatment of Onchocerca volvulus-infected pregnant women and of children aged <5 years. Crucially, six-monthly administration of ivermectin in school-age children at risk of onchocerciasis-associated-epilepsy could be achieved by supplementing annual CDTI with an extra round of ivermectin treatment during Child Health Days in schools and/or other distribution sites every year. 

They discovered that some communities were even more isolated and remote than anticipated. Supervisors, who play a key role in ensuring the quality and effectiveness of treatment campaigns, were struggling to reach these communities due to intense logistical obstacles. They also found that access to safe and clean water, sanitation and hygiene services were limited in many of these communities. Once the investigation was complete, the team worked to rapidly respond to findings in time for the next round of treatment, which was scheduled a couple of months later.

The use of improved WASH activities might have contributed to the low prevalence of STHs and S. haematobium infections. Further, bed net ownership and usage might have resulted in the low prevalence of Plasmodium sp. infections observed.

Progress has been made over the past two decades in the understanding of schistosomiasis in the country, including disease-related morbidity and its interaction with other parasitic infections, and the immunology and epidemiology of the disease. However, for optimising control of the disease, there is a need to fine-tune these findings with detailed local epidemiological and malacological data.

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, has donated the 1.5 billionth tablet of praziquantel in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO). 

This systematic review and meta-analysis has indicated that praziquantel is still an appropriate drug for the treatment of human schistosomiasis in Ethiopia.

To date, anthelmintic therapy for human toxocariasis remains rather unsatisfactory. There are few available compounds, and they are out of date. Their efficacy has rarely been assessed in prospective controlled trials. Clearly, anthelmintic treatment of the systemic forms of human toxocariasis should be standardized. A scoring system to quantify clinical severity should be developed by expert consensus so that therapeutic efficacy may be precisely assessed.

The burden of STH infections and schistosomiasis in children were significantly lower in studies conducted following the initiation of preventive chemotherapy. Eliminating morbidity and interrupting transmission, however, may require expanded control initiatives including community-wide treatment, and improved water, sanitation, and hygiene. Lymphatic filariasis burden has decreased since the implementation of preventive chemotherapy, with all but two provinces having reached the elimination of lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem.

Public health specialist at Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz) in Brasilia, Claudio Mairowicz, highlights that 2020 has been a year for many cases, and therefore, one should not relax with lower infection rates in 2021.” Although there was no increase in One year to another, this is not a good comparison, because the previous year had large numbers,” he warns.

The steady progress towards the elimination of HAT is a testament to the power of multi-stakeholder commitment and coordination. At the end of 2020, the World Health Assembly endorsed a new road map for 2021–2030 that set new bold targets for neglected tropical diseases. While rhodesiense HAT remains among the diseases targeted for elimination as a public health problem, gambiense HAT is targeted for elimination of transmission. 

World NTD Day therefore provides a timely reminder for the global community to recognise its own role and responsibility in improving equity to ensure no one is left behind. 

In honor of World NTD Day, IMA World Health is pausing to acknowledge the hard work and partnership that has helped to bring the global goals for controlling and eliminating neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) ever closer.

On Saturday, charities will mark World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day, seeking to draw attention to a diverse group of communicable diseases that still cause immense suffering around the world, even though they can be prevented or cured.

Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Health has raised the alarm over the prevalence of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) in 11 councils of the state. Addressing newsmen in Uyo, yesterday, to commemorate World NTD Day, the Coordinator of Neglected Tropical Diseases in the state’s Ministry of Health and Public Relations Officer of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Aniekeme Uwa, said NTD had infected many in the state.

Submit a symposium proposal for the 71st Annual Meeting, being held October 30 - November 3, 2022 at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle, Washington. For those unable to attend in person, we will have a virtual option.

These Requests for Proposals will close on January 31, 2022. 

- Increasing Effectiveness of Delivery of Preventive Chemotherapy against NTDs

-New diagnostics for schistosomiasis monitoring and evaluation