Cancer, Alzheimer's, and arrhythmias are widely classified as "terminal" or "fatal" diseases in the twenty-first century. In some nations, however, an illness that may be treated with a one-dollar drug has the same health consequences as the conditions listed above. This suggests that individuals aren't paying enough attention to concerns that may be addressed and handled with a single dollar. These illnesses are referred to as "NTDs." The term "neglected tropical illnesses" refers to a group of health issues that most affect the poor but have received little notice or attention in terms of treatment and vaccines. NTD is a group of 17 diseases recognized by the World Health Organization that are primarily found in tropical settings, as the name implies.

These locations mostly pertain to underprivileged communities where disease transmission can be as simple as drinking unfiltered water or treading on polluted dirt, making it an intractable problem that affects over one billion people. High-income populations are rarely harmed since they have greater access to potable water, sanitation, and basic health care. Buruli Ulcer, Chagas Disease, Cysticercosis, Dengue Fever, Dracunculiasis, Echinococcosis, Fascioliasis, Human African Trypanosomiasis, Leishmaniasis, Leprosy, Lymphatic Filariasis, Mycetoma, Onchocerciasis, Rabies, Schistosomiasis, Schistosomiasis, Soil- STH is one of the most often seen NTDs.

Source: CDC - Ascariasis

Ascaris, whipworm, and hookworm are the three primary intestinal worms that infect humans via swallowing or coming into direct touch with infected soil. These soil-transmitted helminths are most abundant in wet, humid, and warm conditions, which are ideal for parasitic worms to thrive and reproduce in large numbers. To put it another way, places where people's cleanliness and hygiene are comparably low. Helminths dwell in the intestines of sick people, and their eggs are distributed through their feces, which means that when they defecate outside, the eggs are placed in the soil.

The eggs grow infective as they mature and develop the ability to penetrate the skin of humans once hatched. The main issue with the treatment of these worms is that there are usually no evident or profound symptoms shown when infected, which makes it difficult for patients to get diagnosed. Anthelmintic medications that rid the body of intestinal nematodes, such as albendazole and mebendazole, are the drugs of choice for the treatment of the following infections. Although the period in which the disease can get properly treated depends on each patient’s weight, age, and severity, both medications are known to be effective after use for 3-8 days and appear to have few side effects. However, research shows that albendazole was distinctly more effective in both egg reduction rate (92.8% vs. 62.4%) and cure rate (81.8% vs. 17.2%) than mebendazole in treating worm infections, making it a more preferred choice. 

Similarly, some NTDs begin as a little problem, such as a single parasite entering the body, but can quickly escalate into a chronic sickness if not treated or recognized early on.

김채원 강남포스트 학생기자  webmaster@ignnews.kr

<저작권자 © 강남포스트, 무단 전재 및 재배포 금지>