Governments neglect infectious diseases

• April 28, 2024

The following figures contribute to raise awareness about those tropical diseases that, for some governments, are not priorities and are poorly served; However, the number of people affected is very high.

This table prepared by the World Health Organization (WHO) exposes the contradictory situation of some neglected tropical diseases.

• Soil transmitted helminthiases affect more than a billion people in the world.
• Schistosomiasis is suffered by more than 200 million human beings; of them, 20 million have serious sequelae.
• Lymphatic filariasis has infected about 120 million people and is the second leading cause of disability in the world.
• Trachoma causing blindness, in addition to being the main infectious cause of blindness in the world, affects 80 million people, of whom 6 million have lost their sight.

Onchocerciasis: 37 million people suffer from it, the majority in Africa. In addition to causing serious skin problems, visual impairment and blindness, onchocerciasis can shorten up to 15 years the life expectancy of people who become infected.

• Chagas Disease: an estimated 13 million people are infected, mainly in Latin America. Recently, there have been outbreaks in countries where it was eradicated and in others without a history of epidemics, so it is urgent to implement efficient control and surveillance measures. It is believed to be due to the migration of infected people, blood transfusions and congenital transfusion, as well as organ donation without due control.
• Leishmaniasis: more than 12 million people are infected in 88 African, Asian, European and American countries. However, WHO estimates that there are 350 million people at risk of contracting it.

Despite efforts to eradicate these diseases in some regions of the world, much remains to be done.