| ■ 'Neglected' Diseases Need More World Focus: WHO Chief | 07.02.05 |
| The international community must pay more attention to "neglected" diseases that affect a billion people in the developing world and cause more suffering and death than high-profile health threats such as bird flu, says Margaret Chan, head of the World Health Organization. These diseases don't receive much attention because they don't pose a threat to international health and security, Chan told a health conference in Bangkok, Thailand, CBC News reported. "They do not flare up in outbreaks with high mortality. They do not grab media headlines. They do not travel abroad or threaten international security," Chan said. She also noted that these diseases affect populations with low literacy and little political voice, CBC News reported. Pharmaceutical companies have little financial incentive to develop drugs and vaccines for these diseases and poor health care systems hinder the delivery of available drugs, she added. These "neglected" or "silent" diseases include: • Lymphatic filariasis -- a parasitic disease that causes swelling in limbs • Schistosomiasis (snail fever) -- a parasitic disease that leaves people too weak to work • Trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) -- a parasitic disease that overwhelms the immune system. ----- |