Taking a Closer Look at these Diseases

Over the next several weeks I will be discussing these Neglected Tropical Diseases individually.  In doing so, my hope is that one will then have a better understanding as to what each of these diseases are and what a devastating impact they can have people and the community.  

To recap, these diseases are as follows:

• Buruli Ulcer (Mycobacterium ulcerans infection)
• Chagas disease
• Dengue/Severe dengue
• Dracunculiasis (guinea-worm disease)
• Echinococcosis
• Foodborne trematodiases (Clonorchiasis, Fascioliasis, Opisthorchiasis, Paragonimiasis)
• Human African trypanosomiasis (Sleeping sickness)
• Leishmaniasis
• Leprosy (Hansen's Disease)
• Lymphatic filariasis
• Onchocerciasis (River blindness)
• Rabies
• Schistosomiasis
• Soil transmitted helminthiases - which include roundworms (Ascaris lumbricoides), whipworms   (Trichuris trichiura) and the hookworms (Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale).
• Taeniasis/Cysticercosis
• Trachoma
• Yaws (Endemic treponematoses)

I will also plan to focus on three other  'neglected' conditions identified by the WHO, which include:

• Podoconiosis
• Snakebite
• Strongyloidiasis

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"Knowledge has to be improved, challenged, and increased constantly, or it vanishes."

- Peter Drucker