Other Infectious Diseases
Fact Sheet: USAID Fights Neglected Tropical Diseases - 02/22/08
| |
 |
| USAID, CDC, and WHO co-hosted a Stakeholders’ Meeting on the President’s Initiative for NTD Control on October 20-21, 2008, in Washington DC. Click here for more details.
Source: Andrea Peterson, 2007. |
In
some countries, USAID supports efforts to address
other infectious diseases, such as dengue,
onchocerciasis, meningitis, yellow fever, or
chagas. This support is only carried out if
such a disease presents a major public health
threat in that country or region and if there
is a clear role for USAID. In addition to supporting
specific disease control efforts in particular
countries when required, USAID also investigates
other broader issues, such as the impact of
nutrition and of micronutrient interventions
on the control and prevention of infectious
diseases.
Learn more about the U.S. Government's Response to Avian Flu and Presidential Actions
Learn more about USAID's work to Control Neglected Tropical Diseases [PDF, 448KB]
Other infectious diseases
receiving USAID support:
Lymphatic Filariasis
The purpose of the World Bank/Lymphatic Filariasis grant is to develop and implement lymphedema management programs at the state or national levels in collaboration with Ministries of Health and NGOs as part of the overall effort to eliminate lymphatic filariasis.
The program represents USAID's contribution to the global effort to eliminate lymphatic filiariasis, joining with the Global Alliance and the Global Program to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis. Specifically, it supports the expansion of lymphaedema management interventions. It is based on the current collective thinking within the Global Alliance; i.e., lymphedema management should be individual- and community-based, but supported by adequate referral systems and a network of competent medical care. Lymphedema management is part of a comprehensive and balanced program to eliminate lymphatic filariasis. The project will address the challenges of going to scale with lymphedema management at the state and national levels. Specifically, the program addresses the following:
- Education of patients and family members on the principles and practice of lymphedema self-care
- Encouragement and support to sustain daily self-care
- Access to clean water, soap, and other supplies, including antiseptics, topical antibacterial and antifungal agents, and oral antibiotics
Referral networks for management of acute bacterial adenolymphangitis and for patients with advanced lymphedema or lymphedema complicated by other diseases. Mission access: field support.
Onchocerciasis
The multinational Onchocerciasis Control Program (OCP) was established
in 1974 with support from USAID, as well as more than 30 bilateral, multilateral,
and private organizations. Over the past twenty-six years USAID has contributed
$75 million to the World Bank administered Onchocerciasis Trust Fund
for the OCP, and is the largest donor to this program. Among the OCP's
accomplishments:
- Protection from river blindness to more than
35 million people in the 11 OCP West African
countries
- Over 1.5 million people once infected have
recovered, and over twelve million children
born in the area of the OCP since the program's
start are safe from the disease
- Through 2000 more than 600,000 cases of blindness
have been prevented adding 5 million years
of productive labor to the economies of West
Africa
- More than 25 million hectares of arable land,
frequently the most fertile river valleys in
affected countries but abandoned due to the
severity of the disease, are being resettled
and cultivated. This has contributed to increased
agricultural productivity and food security
for 17 million people per year
- An increase in GDPs, for example, in Burkina
Faso the opening of new agricultural lands
has resulted in a 6 percent increase in the country's
GDP
Remarkably, in 2003 the OCP
will formally end its activities, having successfully
eliminated onchocerciasis from West Africa. Building
on the success of the OCP USAID in 1996 joined
with WHO, the World Bank and 19 additional African
countries, largely in central and eastern Africa,
to launch the Africa Programme for Onchocerciasis
Control (APOC). Operating primarily through a
network of international and local NGOs this
relatively new program has made considerable
headway, treating an estimated 22 million people
per annum with ivermectin. By 2003, these ongoing
projects are projected to be treating an estimated
36 million people per year. USAID is the largest
financial contributor to APOC, with more than
$13 million donated over the past six years.
A special feature of both onchocerciasis
control efforts has been the partnership with
the private sector. The main intervention used
by both the OCP and APOC is the drug ivermectin,
which needs to be given at least once a year
to the population of all seriously affected communities.
The U.S. pharmaceutical company Merck & Co.,
which manufactures ivermectin, has committed
itself to donating free-of-charge all the ivermectin
required through 2010 (an estimated 450 million
tablets with an estimated value of between US
$300-500 million).
Success
Story: Onchocerciasis Control Program Ends Its
Work in West Africa
Dengue
Amid growing concerns over the increasing
spread and incidence of dengue and dengue hemorrhagic
fever (DHF), the World Health Assembly passed
Resolution 46.31 in 1993. The Resolution urged
affected Member States to strengthen their programs
of prevention and control and requested the Director-General
to establish containment strategies. In the absence
of a dengue vaccine, vector control presently
remains the only option available for disease
prevention and control. In 1995, a WHO consultation
enunciated the global strategy, comprising five
major components: (i) selective integrated vector
control, with community and intersectoral participation;
(ii) active disease surveillance based on a strong
health information system; (iii) emergency preparedness,
(iv) capacity building and training; and (v)
vector control research. Strategies have also
been developed in each of the most severely affected
WHO regions, i.e., South-East Asia (SEAR), The
Western Pacific (WPR) and The Americas (AMR)
and these form the bases for national program
planning.
Despite these national and
international efforts, the increasing epidemiological
trend has not been reversed and operational "success
stories" are few. There are currently an
estimated 50 million cases of dengue annually,
including 400,000 cases of DHF and dengue shock
syndrome. Only a small proportion of cases are
officially reported, but 1998 witnessed unprecedented
levels of reporting, with approximately 1.2 million
cases reported to WHO from 56 countries. USAID
is working to control and eradicate dengue in
the following countries: Cambodia, Dominican
Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru,
and Philippines.
Japanese
Encephalitis
Japanese encephalitis
(JE) is a viral illness caused by a flavivirus
that is transmitted by Culicine mosquitoes. Domestic
pigs are among the most important amplifying
hosts of JE virus. In the absence of pigs, cattle
and wading birds "host" the virus for
multiplication. Children are at a greater risk
of being infected by the JE virus. Incidence
of JE is increasing in some regions, while it
is declining in others. This could be largely
attributed to the changing weather, vector composition,
vector host preference, available vertebrate
hosts and human factors, such as farming, irrigation
practices and population movement.
JE is transmitted seasonally.
In some tropical and subtropical area, the incidence
peaks during and shortly after the raining season.
But, transmission may occur even during the dry
season in regions where mosquitoes breed throughout
the year. Clinical manifestation
of JE varies. More than 90 percent of infected persons
are asymptomatic. Symptomatic infections can
range from aseptic meningitis to severe infection
that results in 30 percent fatality rate. The illness
may progress from high fever, chills, headaches
and gastrointestinal ailments to infection of
the nervous system, leading to neurologic sequelae
and death.
Kala-azar
(Leishmaniasis)
Kala-azar (KA), also known as visceral leishmaniasis, tropical splenomegaly,
sirkari disease and dumdum or Assam fever, is reported to affect 500,000
people worldwide every year. It is caused by the protozoan, Leishmania
Donovani, which is transmitted to humans through infected female phlebotomine
sandfly bites. Ninety percent of visceral leishmaniasis cases are found
in Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Nepal and Sudan. It is believed that the
number of leishmaniasis cases is increasing due partly to population
movement and ecological changes that increase human exposure to the sandfly
vector.
Classic kala-azar, which is
progressive and fatal if not treated, is an insidious,
chronic disease that is characterized by irregular
fever, anorexia, weight loss, cough, gross enlargement
of the spleen and liver, mild anemia and emaciation.
This may be preceded by rigor and vomiting. If
untreated, Kala-azar, which is the most severe
form of leishmaniasis, has a mortality rate of
nearly 100 percent.
For more information on other
infectious diseases:
- Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Institute
of Medicine' s Forum on Emerging Infections
USAID is a proud supporter of the Institute of Medicine's Forum on
Emerging Infections. Sessions of the Forum examine emerging and long-standing
problems in light of the most recent advances that may lead to further
innovation or resolution. In recent years, such dialogue has led to
the establishment of priority issues for infectious disease research
and public health policy, the identification of issues for further
investigation, and opportunities for more effective collaboration between
the private and public sectors. The Forum’s workshop reports have
informed policymakers, documented innovative ideas, and brought attention
to some of the most important infectious disease issues of the last
decade.
- World
Health Organization (WHO)
|
