Treating neglected tropical diseases

The name neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) covers a range of diseases that cause disability, early death, and slowed physical and mental development. The first two in entries Table 1 are diseases that cause blindness. These diseases of neglected and impoverished peoples maintain a cycle of poverty and delayed development of the populations affected. The diseases themselves have been neglected in the push to control malaria, TB and AIDS. The NTDs fall into two main groups. The first group, which we will deal with here, are those for which we have tools (easy community diagnosis or mapping, as well as the drugs or medicines). These NTDs can be treated – where safe to do so – in large populations of patients using a mass drug administration (MDA) strategy. Dosages are standardised, and a dose pole can be used to measure the height of a person in order to calculate the dose required. The second group of diseases, which we will not discuss here, require either more difficult or costly diagnosis and the people affected often need individualised treatment. Treatment with drugs is important. Repeated annual or semi-annual drug distribution can lower the prevalence of a disease and, in some settings, eliminate transmission. However, in order to maintain these gains, more intensive treAtMeNt