With more than 1 million child deaths annually, malaria remains the single leading killer of young children in subSaharan Africa [1]. Millions more young children survive, but still suffer from severe anemia and permanent neurological damage [1], as well as more subtle neuropsychiatric disturbances including impaired cognition and memory [2]. Malaria in pregnancy is also a major cause of matern...

People in the bottom billion are the poorest in the world; they are often subsistence farmers, who essentially live on no money and are stuck in a poverty trap of disease, confl ict, and no education. One of the most potent reinforcements of the poverty trap is the neglected tropical diseases (panel 1). Almost everyone in the bottom billion has at least one of these diseases. Several diseases c...

SOME SIMILARITIES BETWEEN IMMUNE RESPONSE DURING PREGNANCY AND CHRONIC HELMINTH INFECTIONS EXIST Pregnancy is a unique immunological status with different hormonal and immunological alterations. Pregnancy hormones (including progesterone, glucocorticoids, estradiol, and estriol) increase over the course of pregnancy and significantly modulate the immunological shift that occurs over the three t...

Parasitoses are a large group of infectious diseases with diverse host assemblages and transmission patterns. In Japan, after World War II, the nationwide campaign which was enforced by the new public health knowledge against parasitic diseases successfully controlled the classical soiltransmitted parasitoses such as ascariasis, trichuriasis and hookworm diseases. Some other diseases such as do...

Background: Few studies have reported the magnitude of intestinal parasitic infections among under-five children in tropical countries. Moreover, there is little information on maternal awareness about intestinal parasitosis. Objective: To determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitosis among under-five children, and assess maternal awareness about it in Shesha Kebkele, Wondo Genet, Southern...

World Health Organization statistics show that deaths worldwide from chronic noncommunicable diseases (CNCDs) now exceed those from infectious diseases [1]. The major CNCDs causing the greatest share of deaths and disability worldwide include cardiovascular conditions (mainly heart disease and stroke), some cancers, chronic respiratory conditions, and type 2 diabetes [2]. Together they account ...

The term ‘‘neglected tropical diseases’’ (NTDs) is commonly used to refer to a ‘‘baker’s dozen’’ of infectious conditions prevalent in resource-poor tropical countries. The 13 core diseases in the NTD group include ascariasis, dracunculiasis, hookworm, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, trichuriasis, Chagas disease, human African trypanosomiasis, Buruli ulcer, leprosy, and t...

Since our launch in October 2004, PLoS Medicine has published a policy and review section dedicated to neglected diseases. Its focus has been on the chronic tropical infections, mostly parasitic and bacterial, that burden the world’s poorest people and that are also a major cause of global poverty. The many ways in which these diseases have been sidelined are well documented [1], and our main a...

Founded in 1969, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is comprised of 57 nations that together represent the second largest international organization after the United Nations [1]. According to their Web site, the OIC serves as the ‘‘collective voice of the Muslim world,’’ both protecting its interests and settling conflicts and disputes between member states [1]. In addition to sev...

Background: Intestinal parasitic infections are one of the commonest causes of morbidity in third world countries including, India. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of common intestinal parasitic infections in relation to demographic details of patients, attending a tertiary care hospital in Lucknow. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted from 1 January ...