every year, millions of people are infectedwith diseases you’ve probably never heard of. there’s tons of media coverage about thingslike malaria, zika, and hiv — all of which pose serious threats to public health. but there are many more diseases out therethat are just as deadly -- yet not as infamous. they’re called neglected tropical diseases,or ntds, because historically they haven’t been paid as much attention as other diseases,and they mainly affect people in tropical areas. but these days, global healthcare initiativesare paying attention to them -- working to
find ways to prevent and treat these diseases. the deadliest ntd — caused by the second-deadliestparasite in the world, after malaria’s — is schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever. it’s caused by a parasitic worm, calledschistosoma, that’s transmitted through water that’s been contaminated with theparasite’s eggs. the parasites use certain kinds of snailsin the water as hosts, to grow and multiply. eventually, the parasites’ larvae are releasedinto the water, and that’s when anyone who comes in contact with the water is at risk,because the larvae can burrow through the skin.
infected people often don’t have symptomsfor the first month or two, though they can sometimes end up with a rash or other symptomslike fever, aches, and a cough. symptoms are much more common later on, oncethe larvae have grown into adults and laid eggs. that’s when the infection is consideredchronic. but the symptoms of chronic schistosomiasisaren’t caused by the full-grown worms — the worms can actually incorporate proteins fromthe host to trick the immune system into ignoring them. it’s the eggs that cause an incredibly strongimmune response, which can strike almost anywhere:
the intestines, the lungs, the bloodstream,even the brain. so schistosomiasis can cause all kinds ofsymptoms, from diarrhea to wheezing to seizures. more than 200 million people have schistosomiasisright now, and about 200,000 people die from it every year. the main way to treat it is to prevent it:if people are regularly given a drug called praziquantel, even if they don’t have thedisease, they’re less likely to develop a severe infection later on. but the best way to protect people in thelong term is to make sure communities have access to sanitation and safe drinking water,to stop the parasite from spreading.
another neglected tropical disease is chagasdisease. it’s most prevalent in central and southamerica, where about 8 million people have the infection, and about 10,000 die from itevery year. chagas is caused by a parasite called trypanosomacruzi, a single-celled protozoan. the parasite spreads through the feces ofinfected insects, often known as kissing bugs. usually, the parasite enters the body throughmucous membranes — like in the eyes and mouth — or through broken skin, when someonescratches a kissing bug bite. the best time to treat the disease is justa few days after infection, but most people don’t show any symptoms for weeks.
and even in those who do, the symptoms arepretty mild and nonspecific — like fever, a rash, and diarrhea. and then something frightening happens: afterthis initial phase, chagas infection usually goes dormant -- for years. after as much as a decade or two, about 30%of infected people then develop chronic, life-threatening symptoms — including swelling of the heart,or the intestinal tract. so, prevention and early detection are veryimportant here. but as with other ntds, it often affects peoplewho don’t have easy access to healthcare. fortunately, efforts are underway to helpthose at risk, mainly with the help of insecticides.
if you kill the bugs, they can’t spreadthe disease. then there’s african trypanosomiasis, otherwiseknown as african sleeping sickness, which affects parts of sub-saharan africa. like chagas, this disease is caused by parasitescarried by insects — in this case, by the bite of the tsetse fly. in the first phase of sleeping sickness, theparasite reaches the peripheral nervous system — the nerves that aren’t part of the brainor spinal cord. here, symptoms include things like fever,joint pain, and itching, which can be caused by lots of different things.
so — again like chagas — sleeping sicknessis hard to diagnose at first. but symptoms become more severe when the parasiteinvades the central nervous system — the brain and spinal cord. then, it can cause convulsions, confusion,and the symptom that gives the disease its name: uncontrollable sleepiness. if left untreated, sleeping sickness can befatal. but it is treatable with combined medications,even in the second stage. and initiatives to treat sleeping sicknesshave become more and more successful in recent decades.
in 1995, there were an estimated 300,000 newcases of african sleeping sickness. but since then, health organizations havebeen working on testing people for the disease and getting treatment to those who need it. they’ve also been using insecticides tokill tsetse flies. by 2014, there were fewer than 15,000 newcases of sleeping sickness. there are lots of other ntds out there aswell. but they aren’t being neglected anymore,either, and that’s making a big difference. thanks for watching this episode of scishow,which was brought to you and sponsored by bill gates.
visit gatesnotes.com to learn more about neglectedtropical diseases and how people around the world are working to fight them -- like theuniting to combat ntds coalition, which recently set the world record for the most medicationdonated in 24 hours, with more than 200 million doses donated to prevent and treat ntds.
If you want to know about herbal product visit IBHIndo Herbal Indonesia. Also best herbal product for diabetes visit Obat Diabetes Alami - Obat Herbal Diabetes Paling Ampuh. Visit Jual Obat for online shoping herbal medicine.