Major parasitic diseases of poverty in mainland China: perspectives for better control.
Wang J-L, Li T-T, Huang S-Y, et al. Infect Dis Poverty. 2016; 5(1): 67.
Abstract Significant progress has been made in the prevention, control, and elimination of human parasitic diseases in China in the past 60 years. In this article, we review the prevalence rates, geographical distributions, epidemic characteristics, risk factors, and clinical manifestations of parasitic diseases of poverty listed in the first issue of the journal Infectious Diseases of Poverty on 25 October 2012.
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The United States and Mexico: addressing a shared legacy of neglected tropical diseases and poverty.
Herricks JR, Matthews KRW, Hotez PJ. James A Baker III Institute for Public Policy. 2016. Report.
Abstract This report reviews the impact and prevalence of NTDs in the United States and Mexico. This report also will address key policy challenges and make recommendations for reducing NTDs in these two countries. Reducing the multifaceted impact of NTDS will require coordinated policies between these two countries that focus on preventive measures and access to therapies as well as the development of new treatments and vaccines.
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Ethical considerations for the creation of a national neglected tropical disease policy.
James A Baker III Institute for Public Policy: Iltis AS, Matthews KRW. 2016: 23 p. Report
Abstract This report highlights some of the central ethical issues pertaining to NTD policy development and argues that ethical considerations should be included in the policy development process. We conclude that the United States should develop an NTD policy to further reduce the prevalence and impact of NTDs both within and outside our border.
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Sustaining progress towards NTD elimination: an opportunity to leverage Lymphatic filariasis elimination programs to interrupt transmission of soil-transmitted helminths.
Means AR, Ásbjörnsdóttir K, Mwandawiro C, et al. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2016; 10(7): e0004737.
Abstract A concomitant reduction in STH infection raises the possibility of moving beyond current World Health Organization (WHO) morbidity control guidelines to actual disease elimination for STHs. We identtify specific rationale, opportunities, and challenges associated with leveraging existing LF elimination platforms for the purpose of interrupting STH transmission.
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Cost-effectiveness of scaling up mass drug administration for the control of soil-transmitted helminths: a comparison of cost function and constant costs analyses.
Turner HC, Truscott JE, Fleming FM, et al. Lancet Infect Dis. 2016; 16(7): 838-46.
Abstract The coverage of mass drug administration (MDA) for neglected tropical diseases, such as the soil-transmitted helminths (STHs), needs to rapidly expand to meet WHO's 2020 targets. We aimed to compare use of a costfunction to take into account economies of scale to the standard method of assuming a constant cost per treatment when investigating the cost and cost-effectiveness of scaling up a STH MDA programme targeting Ascaris lumbricoides.
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Promoting civic engagement with neglected tropical disease education.
Bonney KM. Braz. J. Biol. Sci.2016; 3(5): 93-103.
Abstract Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) affect over one billion people globally creating a public health burden that has far reaching implications for the fields of economics, politics, sociology, and science. Educating students and the public about relevant risks, implications, and treatments is a key component of reducing the public health burden associated with NTDs.
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The world's great religions and their Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Hotez PJ. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2016; 10(7): e0004544.
Abstract New information based on data released by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that practically everyone infected with a major neglected tropical disease (NTD) lives in a Christian-, Muslim-, or Hindu-majority nation. The finding has implications for engaging religious leaders in NTD control and elimination activities.
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Awareness of transmission, complications and protective measures against schistosomiasis among paddy cultivators.
Msigala AR, Matuja SS. Intern Med. 2016; 6(3): 1-4.
Abstract Schistosomiasis infection is among the neglected tropical diseases seen in Sub-Saharan Africa causing acute and chronic infection by the trematode worms. Paddy farming and livestock keeping are major economic activities in Africa. Information is lacking on this target groups’ relationship to schistosomiasis infection. The aim was to assess the awareness of schistosomiasis transmission, complications, and protective measures among pad cultivators.
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The role of gender in Chagas disease prevention and control in Honduras: an analysis of communication and collaboration networks.
Triana DRR, Mertens F, Zúniga CV, et al. Ecohealth (2016).
Abstract In Honduras, where Chagas disease is a serious health and environmental concern, prevention measures face the challenge of achieving widespread and long-term sustainable adoption by communities. The article integrates social network analysis and a gender-sensitive approach to understand the role of men and women in the implementation of a community- level intervention, based on the the adoption of housing improvements to reduce the presence of the insect vector.
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Dilemmas of community-directed mass drug administration for lymphatic filariasis control: a qualitative study from urban and rural Tanzania.
Kisoka W, Mushi D, Meyrowitsch DW, et al. J Biosoc Sci. (2016).
Abstract There has in recent years been a growing interest in the social significance of global health policy and associated interventions. This paper is concerned with neglected tropical disease control, which prescribes annual mass drug administration to interrupt transmission of, among others, lymphatic filariasis.
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Human rabies survivors in India: an emerging paradox?
Subramaniam Mani R. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2016; 10(7): e0004774. Viewpoints
Abstract On a particularly hot afternoon early last year, a couple—barefoot and in tattered clothes—walked into the emergency services at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), a public neurocare hospital in Bangalore, India. The woman held a sick child in her arms and her male companion followed with two more children in tow.
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Onchocerciasis along Anambra River System of Kogi State, North Central Nigeria.
Odo GE, Ekeh FN, Agwu EJ,et all. Transylv Rev. 2016; 24(7).
Abstract The high transmission in Nigeria has been attributed to misconceptions of the disease by several cultural groups which led to neglect of personal protection against the disease vector and non compliance of infected individuals to treatment regime. People in Kogi State attributed the disease to witchcrafts (hence, a superstitious disease) while others attribute it to a repercussion of sins committed by one’s ancestors in the distant past (a repercussive disease).
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Low prevalence of ocular chlamydia trachomatis infection and active trachoma in the western division of Fiji.
Macleod CK, Butcher R, Mudaliar U, et al. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2016; 10(7): e0004798.
Abstract Trachoma is the leading infectious cause of blindness and is caused by ocular infection with the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct). While the majority of the global disease burden is found in sub-Saharan Africa, the Western Pacific Region has been identified as trachoma endemic. Population surveys carried out throughout Fiji have shown an abundance of both clinically active trachoma and trachomatous trichiasis in all divisions.
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Schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminth infections in schoolchildren in north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Knoblauch AM, Archer C, Owuor M et al. Trans. R. Soc. Trop. Med. Hyg. 2016; 110(7): 424-6.
Abstract There is a paucity of epidemiological data pertaining to schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). A cross-sectional survey was carried out in the north-eastern part of DRC enrolling 400 schoolchildren aged 9-14 years.
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A centenary of Robert T. Leiper's lasting legacy on schistosomiasis and a COUNTDOWN on control of neglected tropical diseases.
Stothard RJ, Kabatereine NB, Archer J,et al. Parasitology. 2016: 1-11.
Abstract Part of Robert T. Leiper's (1881-1969) lasting legacy in medical helminthology is grounded on his pioneering work on schistosomiasis (Bilharzia). Having undertaken many expeditions to the tropics, his fascination with parasite life cycles typically allowed him to devise simple preventive measures that curtailed transmission. Building on his formative work with others in Africa and Asia, and again in Egypt in 1915, he elucidated the life cycles of African schistosomes.
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Drug repositioning approaches to parasitic diseases: a medicinal chemistry perspective.
Ferreira LG, Andricopulo AD. Drug Discov. Today. (2016)
Abstract Identifying new indications for clinically useful drugs is a worthwhile approach for neglected tropical diseases. The number of successful repurposing cases in the field is growing as not-for-profit organizations, in association with academia and pharmaceutical companies, enable screening campaigns for the identification of new repositioning candidates. Current programs have delivered encouraging results as the use of state-of-the-art technologies, such as genomic and structural biology tools, and high-throughput screening platforms have become increasingly common in infectious disease research.
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Prevention of disability
People with disabilities working in the disability sector in Timor Leste: a study of ‘lived experience’ using PhotoVoice
Shamrock J, Smith N, Gray M, Cameron M, Oprescu F. Third World Quarterly. 2016: 1-17.
Abstract Perspectives on disability originating from non-Western cultures are beginning to appear in disability literature, however discussions may become lost in rhetoric unless grounded in experiences of people with disabilities themselves. The purpose of this study was to investigate the lived experience of physical disability in Timor Leste with the assistance of a group of Timorese participants with disabilities who were employed in the disability sector.
Abstract
Prevalence of leprosy-related disability in Bangladesh
Butlin RC, Kundu K, Hossain D, et al. Lepr Rev. 2016; 87(2): 264-66.
Abstract Disability due to leprosy often lasts lifelong, so estimates of the burden of leprosy in a community based on ‘registered prevalence of leprosy cases’ or on ‘proportion with Grade 2 disability amongst new cases in past year’ will seriously underestimate the number of disabled people in the community needing support or services. In a previously highly endemic are of Bangladesh, the accumulated prevalence of disability due to leprosy amongst adults was 45·35/100,000 population.
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Rapid assessment of disability in the Philippines: understanding prevalence, well-being, and access to the community for people with disabilities to inform the W-DARE project.
Marella M, Devine A, Armecin GF, et al. Population Health Metrics. 2016; 14(26) 1-11.
Abstract International recognition that people with disabilities were excluded from the Millennium Development Goals has led to better inclusion of people with disabilities in the recently agreed Global Goals for Sustainable Development (SDGs) 2015–2030. Given the current global agenda for disability inclusion, it is crucial to increase the understanding of the situation of people with disabilities in the Philippines. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of disability and compare the well-being and access to the community between people with and without disabilities.
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Cultural understanding of wounds, Buruli ulcers and their management at the Obom sub-district of the Ga south municipality of the Greater Accra Region of Ghana.
Koka E, Yeboah-Manu D, Okyere D, et al. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2016; 10(7): e0004825.
Abstract This study was conducted with the aim to understand some of the cultural belief systems in the management of wounds and patients practices that could contaminate wounds at the Obom sub-district of the Ga South Municipality of Ghana.
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Lipid-based nanocarriers for cutaneous leishmaniasis and Buruli ulcer management.
Simões S, Carvalheiro M, Gaspar MM. Curr. Pharm. Des.(2016).
Abstract Currently, progresses and challenges in constructing nanocarrier platforms for delivering various antimicrobial drugs for infected skin lesions have been attempted. This article reviews the potential of these nanocarriers in the treatment of cutaneous infections, especially regarding mycobacteria and Leishmania induced skin lesions.
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WASH
The potential of positive deviance approach for the sustainable control of neglected tropical diseases.
Ong KIC, Araki H, Kano S, Jimba M. Trop Med Health. 2016; 44(20): 1-3.
Abstract Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) have gained much attention in recent years due to the support from various agencies. However, the main approach to combat NTDs has been to cure rather than to prevent. As many NTD infections are closely linked with human behaviors such as hygienic practices and tradition, behavior change is also very crucial to prevent relapse or reinfection. Therefore, we would like to suggest a potential new approach-the positive deviance approach-to tackle NTDs by focusing on the preventive phase.
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The impact of a rural sanitation programme on safe disposal of child faeces: a cluster randomised trial in Odisha, India.
Freeman MC, Majorin F, Boisson S, et al. Trans. R. Soc. Trop. Med. Hyg. 2016; 110(7): 386-92.
Abstract Unsafe disposal of child faeces is persistent and may lead to considerable impact on the health of young children. Research is limited on the impact of sanitation or hygiene interventions to improve child faeces disposal practices. In the context of a randomised controlled trial to assess the health impact of a programme in Odisha, India, to promote rural sanitation under the Government of India's Total Sanitation Campaign, we explored whether the intervention affected the safe disposal of faeces of children under-5 years of age.
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Soil contamination with soil-transmitted helminthes in schools and play areas of Kermanshah City, west of Iran.
Mohaghegh MA, Vafaei MR, Azami M, et al. Int J Infect. (2016). Abstract Geohelminth infections are common infections worldwide. These helminthes are parasitic nematodes, which could infect humans and animals by contact with eggs or infective larvae and in some cases cause serious disorders, especially in children.The present study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of geohelminth eggs in the soil of schools and play areas of Kermanshah city, western Iran.
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Data collection, mapping and indicators
Estimating dengue transmission intensity from case-notification data from multiple countries.
Imai N, Dorigatti I, Cauchemez S, Ferguson NM. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2016; 10(7): e0004833.
Abstract Despite being the most widely distributed mosquito-borne viral infection, estimates of dengue transmission intensity and associated burden remain ambiguous. With advances in the development of novel control measures, obtaining robust estimates of average dengue transmission intensity is key for assessing the burden of disease and the likely impact of interventions.
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Evaluation of the control of West Nile virus in Ontario: did risk patterns change from 2005 to 2012?
Thompson M, Berke O. Zoonoses Public Health. (2016).
Abstract The goal of this study was to evaluate and compare the risk distribution of human cases of West Nile virus (WNV) disease in Ontarioin 2005 to 2012. The objectives were to: map the risk distribution of WNV in 2005 and 2012, identify clusters of human WNV disease and determine whether the clusters are significantly different between the years 2005 and 2012.
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A Comparison of four methods of diseases mapping.
Yang, C. Lund: Lund University, Dept of Phys Geogr and Ecosys Science. 2016: 46p. Thesis
Abstract Disease susceptibility mapping can produce risk maps showing predictive distribution of disease incidences. Hence, it is a useful tool for disease prevention. In this study, four data-driven models: logistic regression (LR), backpropagation neural network (BPNN), radical basis functional link nets (RBFLN) and general regression neural network (GRNN) for disease susceptibility mapping were implemented using Python.
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The schistosomiasis clinical trials landscape: a systematic review of antischistosomal treatment efficacy studies and a case for sharing Individual Participant-Level Data (IPD).
Julé AM, Vaillant M, Lang TA, et al. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2016; 10(6): e0004784.
Abstract Schistosomiasis control mainly relies on preventive chemotherapy with praziquantel (PZQ) distributed through mass drug administration. With a target of 260 million treatments yearly, reliably assessing and monitoring efficacy is all-important. Recommendations for treatment and control of schistosomiasis are supported by systematic reviews and meta-analyses of aggregated data, which however also point to limitations due to heterogeneity in trial design, analyses and reporting. Some such limitations could be corrected through access to individual participant-level data (IPD), which facilitates standardised analyses.
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Health systems factors
Inequality and inequity in healthcare utilization in urban Nepal: a cross-sectional observational study.
Saito E, Gilmour S, Yoneoka D, et al. Health Policy Plan. 2016; 31(7): 817-24.
Abstract Inequality in access to quality healthcare is a major health policy challenge in many low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to identify the major sources of inequity in healthcare utilization using a population-based household survey from urban Nepal. A cross-sectional survey was conducted covering 9177 individuals residing in 1997 households in five municipalities of Kathmandu valley between 2011 and 2012.
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A systematic review of the literature | 
