Neglected Tropical Diseases Should Not Exist

Over a Billion People in the Global South Suffer from Treatable Diseases

Here’s a little bit about my background. I’m a recent graduate of the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, I received my masters in public health and tropical medicine. I pursued this degree with the intention of learning about diseases that have a particularly high prevalence in poor countries. There happens to be a special group of diseases that afflict over a billion people in the global south, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).

The CDC defines NTDs as, “…a group of parasitic and bacterial diseases that cause substantial illness. NTDs are the source of tremendous suffering because of their disfiguring, debilitating, and sometimes deadly impact. They are referred to as “neglected” because they have been largely wiped out in the more developed parts of the world but persist in the poorest, most marginalized or isolated communities of the world. ”

There are 20 NTDs in total. Many of them are vector-borne, meaning they are transmitted by an insect. These diseases may also be the result of a lack of access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene.

Onchocerciasis (aka river blindness) is caused by a microscopic parasitic worm which is transmitted by Similium black flies and mainly occurs in rural areas of Africa and South America. Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi and is transmitted through contact with the feces of the Triatomine bug. Those with Chagas disease may suffer from chronic heart disease and gastrointestinal disease, Chagas disease mainly occurs in Latin America. Buruli ulcer is mainly found in Africa and is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium ulcerans. Those suffering from Buruli ulcer may experience severe open wounds. The point of this article was not to go in depth on each specific disease, but to share what all these NTDs have in common.

Source: The WHO’s list of 20 Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) [1]…. | Download Scientific Diagram (researchgate.net)

Some NTDs are easily treated with inexpensive, widely available pharmaceuticals. Other NTDs can only be treated with outdated antibiotics meaning resistance is increasingly becoming an issue. As medications become less effective, it is imperative that more research goes into creating new antibiotics to treat certain NTDs. Because NTDs mainly affect the poorest and most marginalized, the pharmaceutical industry has no profit motive to pursue research, hence no new drugs. Another important factor is a lack of access to clean water and adequate bathrooms. It’s no secret what needs to be done about these diseases and it’s no secret why these diseases remain common in the Global South.

For 5 centuries, since the dawn of global European exploration then subsequent colonization, black and brown bodies have been deemed worthless. The evidence litters the historical record. There was the genocide committed against the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. There was the abduction and enslavement of Africans on an industrial scale. There was the deliberate destruction of the Indian economy which resulted in the British empire making trillions of dollars in profit while India became impoverished.

The West has shown utter disregard for the Global South. The existence of a set of diseases which primarily affects formerly colonized, black and brown countries demonstrate this clearly. For NTDs to be adequately addressed, the Global North must provide sufficient funding, pharmaceutical companies must be willing to research and develop new, effective antibiotics, and the global community must maintain the political will to deal with this blight on humanity once and for all.