One in every six people on the planet has some kind of Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) and most of those affected live in low-income countries. For a long time — despite their high prevalence — these diseases have received little attention and scant resources have been dedicated to the problem because most of those affected are poor people living in urban slums or in the rural areas of low-income countries. In recent years, however, interest in these neglected diseases has been growing, motivated mainly by their emergence as a public health issue in wealthier countries and their impact on global public health.
Our aim in this initiative is to do our part in the international effort to control and eliminate NTDs, with particular emphasis on Chagas disease. Our task is to coordinate the activities of the Institute from within and to create synergies with other centres and organisations that will give greater visibility to these forgotten diseases. In short, we are looking for ways to contribute to the debate on NTDs and to inform global health policies with a view to improving the health of the millions of people affected.
In the more affluent parts of the world, Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) have been largely eliminated, and therefore forgotten. However, over one thousand million people still have one or more of these diseases, and they are living mainly in very poor communities in remote or rural areas, urban slums, or zones of conflict.
Today, according to the World Healt Organization (WHO) list, there are 17 NTDs, most of which could be prevented or eliminated. Despite the great suffering and disability they cause, these diseases lack visibility and receive little attention because they only affect vulnerable populations that have little or no political voice.
The situation regarding their diagnosis and treatment varies according to the disease: Although simple, economical and accessible diagnostic methods are available for some, the routine diagnostic methods for others require trained healthcare personnel and patient hospitalisation. The same can be said of treatment: in some cases safe and affordable treatments are available while in others the therapies are old-fashioned, toxic, costly and often in scant supply.
Recent initiatives such as the Uniting to Combat NTDs conference, where the WHO presented its roadmap for accelerating work in NTDs, have put neglected diseases squarely on the international political agenda. The goal formulated by the London Declaration is to control or eliminate at least 10 of these 17 devastating diseases by 2020.
CRESIB, the research arm of ISGlobal, has been involved in research and training related to Chagas disease since 2002 and ISGlobal is currently working on an intervention strategy in Bolivia, the country most affected by this forgotten disease. This strategy intervenes on three levels: measures aimed at providing direct care for patients in order to improve integrated care (prevention, diagnosis, and treatment); training health care professionals in the management of Chagas disease; and the development of research protocols through a joint scientific platform.
In Spain, where Chagas disease is now a public health issue, ISGlobal advocates early detection of infection in newborn infants and quality care for patients living with the disease. This will be possible only when patients with chronic Chagas disease living in Spain are correctly diagnosed and receive adequate care to prevent or control the complications associated with their condition.
