Is there a cure for Neglected Tropical Diseases?
Neglected Tropical Diseases Treatment The good news about neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) is that many are treatable with existing drugs. Certain treatments are easy to administer and do not require health professionals. The bad news is that, while drug treatments are available for many NTDs, they don’t often reach the people most in need.
How can tropical diseases be put under control?
Tropical diseases can be put under control by distributing medications, improving living conditions and building waste sanitation facilities. Furthermore, planned programs that enable nutritional support to those who live in high-risk areas can help to strengthen resistance of a human organism to these diseases.
What is an example of a tropical disease?
Examples of tropical diseases. It is caused by a protozoan Trypanosoma brucei, and since the 1970s this infectious disease has re-emerged as a new epidemic of immense proportions. Onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, is an infection caused by the filarial nematode, Onchocerca volvulus.
How are tropical disease agents transmitted?
Alternatively, some tropical disease agents are transmitted by an intermediate carrier or vector. The insect or other invertebrate vector picks up the pathogen from an infected person or animal and transmits it to others in the process of feeding.
What comes under tropical medicine?
Tropical medicine doctors treat patients with a range of tropical infections including malaria and hepatitis. They diagnose, investigate and manage imported infection.
What does tropical mean in medication?
Tropical medicine is a branch of medicine that deals with communicable and noncommunicable diseases in the tropics. Most of the communicable diseases are infections that are endemic to the tropics contributing to significant morbidity and mortality.
What is a tropical disease?
tropical disease, any disease that is indigenous to tropical or subtropical areas of the world or that occurs principally in those areas. Examples of tropical diseases include malaria, cholera, Chagas disease, yellow fever, and dengue. Related Topics: human disease disease tropical medicine.
What cause tropical diseases?
Some of the organisms that cause tropical diseases are bacteria and viruses, terms that may be familiar to most people since these types of organisms cause illness common in the U.S. Less well known are those more complex organisms commonly referred to as parasites.
What is the function of tropical medicine?
tropical medicine, medical science applied to diseases that occur primarily in countries with tropical or subtropical climates.
Why Tropical Medicine is important?
Tropical medicine is an important component of global health, but it is more focused on the specific tropical infections that occur in resource poor settings, with detailed emphasis on the pathogens, their vectors, how they are transmitted (their epidemiology), their treatment and prevention, and even how to develop ...
What are the symptoms of tropical diseases?
Typical symptoms of many tropical diseases share common traits to ,disease found at home and include Fevers, Muscle Ache and Headaches. Other common signs to look for include diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, chronic fatigue, or skin rashes.
What is tropical disease control?
The Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases coordinates and supports policies and strategies to enhance global access to interventions for the prevention, control, elimination and eradication of neglected tropical diseases, including some zoonotic diseases.
What is a tropical fever?
Tropical fevers were defined as infections that are prevalent in, or are unique to tropical and subtropical regions. Some of these occur throughout the year and some especially in rainy and post-rainy season.
Is TB a tropical disease?
The neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are an ever-growing list of infections that predominate in the tropics and are neglected in comparison with the “big three”: malaria, tuberculosis (TB), and HIV/AIDS (Hotez et al., 2008).
What is the best way to treat a bacterial infection caused by bacterial pathogen?
Most bacterial infections can be effectively treated with antibiotics. They either kill bacteria or stop them multiplying. This helps the body's immune system to fight the bacteria. Your doctor's choice of antibiotic will depend on the bacteria that is causing the infection.
What are the 13 neglected tropical diseases?
Feasey, a researcher in neglected tropical diseases, notes 13 neglected tropical diseases: ascariasis, Buruli ulcer, Chagas disease, dracunculiasis, hookworm infection, human African trypanosomiasis, Leishmaniasis, leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, trachoma, and trichuriasis.
How can tropical diseases be controlled?
Tropical diseases can be put under control by distributing medications, improving living conditions and building waste sanitation facilities. Furthermore, planned programs that enable nutritional support to those who live in high-risk areas can help to strengthen the resistance of a human organism to these diseases.
What are some examples of tropical diseases?
Examples of tropical diseases. Tuberculosis represents the leading cause of death associated with infectious diseases globally, and its incidence is on the rise in tropical areas due to the interaction between tuberculosis and HIV epidemics. In many regions of the world this disease predominantly affects young adults, ...
What are the diseases that can be caused by a lack of sanitation?
Deficiencies in water and sanitation definitely contribute to the heavy disease burden imposed by infectious diarrhea, hepatitis, intestinal nematodes like hookworm and leishmaniasis, thus it should also be addressed. In addition, drinking water can be contaminated with certain chemicals such as arsenic and fluorine.
Is tropical medicine a discipline?
Such infectious diseases are known simply as tropical diseases (as they are disproportionately more prevalent than other non-infectious diseases), and tropical medicine has emerged as an important discipline for their study.
A Sore From a Vacation
Bobby is a 33-year-old high school math teacher who took a trip to Papua New Guinea last summer. During his trip, he enjoyed walking along the beaches barefoot, swimming in the ocean, and trying the local food.
What is a Tropical Ulcer?
Tropical ulcers are bacterial infections that can lead to the development of open wounds or sores (ulcers). Tropical ulcers are most common in tropical climates (hence the name) and they usually occur in the lower extremities, especially the feet and ankles.
Causes
Tropical ulcers are most commonly caused by bacteria entering the body through a previous wound, cut, bug bite or other breakdown in the skin. The bacteria that have been shown to cause tropical ulcers include Fusobacterium, Bacillus fusiformis, Treponema vincentii, Escherichia coli and Enterococcus.
Treatment
Since tropical ulcers are a bacterial infection, the main method of treatment is the administration of antibiotics. Examples include penicillin, metronidazole and tetracycline.
How are tropical diseases transmitted?
Alternatively, some tropical disease agents are transmitted by an intermediate carrier or vector. The insect or other invertebrate vector picks up the pathogen from an infected person or animal and transmits it to others in the process of feeding.
What diseases are spread in the tropics?
In the tropics, respiratory diseases (such as measles, respiratory syncytial virus, tuberculosis) and sexually transmitted diseases are also of great importance. In addition, many diseases are spread by contaminated water and food sources, since clean water and sanitary conditions are often a luxury in developing countries.
Where is malaria found?
More recently, cases of locally transmitted malaria have been appearing in regions as diverse as California, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Texas and Michigan. Leishmaniasis (leesh-mah-nye ' ah-sis) Leishmaniasis is actually a group of diseases, caused by infection with protozoa belonging to the genus Leishmania.
What is an antibiotic that can be applied topically?
One example of an antibiotic that may be applied topically is chloramphenicol . If defined strictly as having local effect, the topical route of administration can also include enteral administration of medications that are poorly absorbable by the gastrointestinal tract.
What is a topical solution?
Some examples of topical solutions are given below: Aluminium acetate topical solution: This is colorless, with a faint acetous odour and sweetish taste. It is applied topically as an astringent after dilution with 10-40 parts of water. This is used in many types of dermatologic creams, lotions, and pastes.
What is a transdermal patch?
A transdermal patch which delivers medication is applied to the skin. The patch is labelled with the time and date of administration as well as the administrator's initials. In other cases, topical is defined as applied to a localized area of the body or to the surface of a body part regardless of the location of the effect.
What is topical eye medication?
Instilling eye medication. A topical medication is a medication that is applied to a particular place on or in the body. Most often topical administration means application to body surfaces such as the skin or mucous membranes to treat ailments via a large range of classes including creams, foams, gels, lotions, and ointments.
Is topical medicine inhalational?
Topical medications may also be inhalational, such as asth ma medications, or applied to the surface of tissues other than the skin, such as eye drops applied to the conjunctiva, or ear drops placed in the ear, or medications applied to the surface of a tooth. The word topical derives from Greek τοπικός topikos, "of a place".
What is the best treatment for dermatophyte infection?
Topical therapy with keratolytic or fungicidal medications may be beneficial in some cases of dermatophyte infection, especially tinea pedis, in which results with use of griseofulvin are not encouraging. Whitfield's ointment, 1% solution of tolnaftate, or an ointment with 3% each of sulfur and salicylic acid may be used. Topical therapy should be continued until culture specimens and scrapings are negative for fungus. For invasive fungal dermatitis in premature infants, amphotericin B deoxycholate administered intravenously is the agent of choice. Some studies, however, have suggested tolerance of Trichosporon species to amphotericin, and fluconazole has been shown to be effective in the treatment of trichosporonosis.
What is the best treatment for candidiasis?
Topical treatment with gentian violet is effective in some patients. However, locally applied amphotericin, nystatin, or an imidazole preparation is preferable, and powders, lotions, and/or pessaries (vaginal tablets) are available. Oral treatments for superficial candidiasis are fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, posaconazole, and ketoconazole. These are best reserved for severe oral or chronic forms of candidiasis. AIDS patients with oral candidiasis should usually be treated with fluconazole, but may respond to topical therapy [13]. Resistance to fluconazole can develop if the drug is continuously employed in clinically unresponsive infection. Vaginal infections respond to intensive topical therapy given for 3–5 days using a combination of cream and pessaries; however, a single dose of fluconazole is more effective and convenient.
How long should I take Terbinafine for tinea capitis?
Terbinafine 250 mg/day and itraconazole 100 mg/day are both effective oral treatments for scalp infection. In adults, either agent should be given for 2–4 weeks. Terbinafine is licensed in some countries for use in children and it appears to be a safe and effective agent in this group. 17 In other countries, the older drug griseofulvin must still be used in children. The recommended dose is 20–25 mg/kg/day for at least 6–8 weeks. A confirmatory culture is often done at 5–6 weeks to determine if longer courses are needed.
How to treat nonhuman primates?
Topical therapy is an important part of veterinary dermatology included in treating nonhuman primates. The following are some basic guidelines to consider when administering topical therapy to nonhuman primates. As much of the hair coat as possible should be removed when treating skin diseases. Topical medications including ointments, gels, and sprays are best used sparingly. Nonhuman primates tend to groom off topical products and may vomit after ingestion. When treating skin wounds, cleaning the area by irrigation of the wound is critical. The ideal lavage solution would be antiseptic and nontoxic to the tissue. Sterile isotonic saline is often the solution utilized although it is not antiseptic, it is less toxic to the tissue ( Aiello, 1998 ).
Is phototherapy better than a single agent?
Combinations of treatments are often more effective than a single agent, and continued treatment is usually necessary to avoid relapse. Stress can aggravate psoriasis, and smoking and alcohol should be reduced.
Analgesic Creams, Rubs, and Sprays
Topical painkillers, or analgesics, are sprayed on, rubbed in, or applied as patches onto the skin over painful muscles or joints. Although all are designed to relieve pain, different products use different ingredients. Here are some of the most common.
Hot Packs and Cold Packs
Hot or cold packs -- or sometimes a combination of the two -- can provide relief for sore muscles and joints.
Overview
Local versus systemic effect
- Tropical diseases can be put under control by distributing medications, improving living conditions and building waste sanitation facilities. Furthermore, planned programs that enable nutritional support to those who live in high-risk areas can help to strengthen the resistance of a human organism to these diseases. Additionally, community-wide vac...
Choice of base formulation
Classes
See also
External links
- Since tropical ulcers are a bacterial infection, the main method of treatment is the administration of antibiotics. Examples include penicillin, metronidazole and tetracycline. Large and/or deep ulcers may require debridement, which involves removing dead tissue of a wound in order to aid the healing process. Since these ulcers can be quite painful...