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Leading Health Organizations Join Forces in Call to Action to Control and Eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases

Posted on: Thursday, 26 October 2006, 12:00 CDT

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), poverty-perpetuating, disfiguring, life-threatening parasitic and bacterial infections, currently affect nearly one half of the world's population -- 2.7 billion people who live on less than $2 USD per day. However, despite being widespread in certain areas, NTDs are often overlooked due to their prevalence in poverty-stricken regions afflicted with numerous other severe health challenges.

The Global Network for Neglected Tropical Disease Control (GNNTDC) -- a new coalition of international partnerships formalized by the Clinton Global Initiative -- was developed to lead the global effort to treat, control and eliminate these diseases with an integrated approach and its unique "rapid impact" initiative. The organization's launch was announced today at The George Washington University and the U.N. Millennium Project's "Rapid Impact" Conference.

"In the area of health care, we've made a lot of progress in HIV/AIDS and malaria, but not nearly enough," commented President William Jefferson Clinton. "Other global health challenges remain profound. And this year, for the first time, in addition to AIDS, TB and malaria, we're going to be focusing on the less noticed tropical diseases that affect large numbers of poor people around the world and, in the aggregate, are also major killers."

The classification of NTDs includes 13 conditions that are associated with extreme poverty. Initially, GNNTDC will focus on the following seven diseases, as they are the most insidious but also readily treatable. In addition, treatment of these seven positively impacts the remaining NTDs, as well as symptoms and conditions associated with HIV, tuberculosis and malaria:

Trachoma -- The world's leading cause of preventable blindness

Hookworm (soil-transmitted helminth) -- Worm infection that causes iron-deficiency and protein malnutrition

Ascaris (soil-transmitted helminth) -- Most common human worm infection, adversely affects growth and impairs intellectual and cognitive development in children

Trichuris (soil-transmitted helminth) -- Worm infection that causes blood loss and depletion of human nutrients, causing gastrointestinal problems

Lymphatic filariasis (Elephantiasis) -- Infestation of the lymphatic system that causes swelling, scarring, infections and genital deformity

Schistosomiasis (Snail Fever) -- Causes blood in the urine, anemia, liver and kidney damage, and impaired growth and development

Onchocerciasis (River Blindness) -- Causes skin rash, eye lesions and blindness

NTDs are generally overshadowed in terms of visibility and resource commitment by the "big three" -- HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria -- even though NTDs impact 2.7 billion of the world's poorest people and result in a death every minute (530,000 per year). The pervasive nature of NTDs contributes to an ongoing cycle of poverty, stigma and disability, leaving many millions unable to work or participate in family or community life. Treatment and prevention is cost-effective (an estimated $0.50 USD per person per year) and can immediately improve both quality of life and economic opportunities for afflicted individuals, families, villages and nations.

GNNTDC Chairman and leading parasitologist Peter J. Hotez, M.D. and Ph.D. added, "While they have little name recognition in developed societies, these diseases cause severe disability that prevent people from working, learning and even living. Effective treatment is available and we can eliminate the suffering and deaths caused by these infections in just five years by delivering safe and effective drugs currently available once a year. Partners within the GNNTDC have already demonstrated the effectiveness of mass drug distribution throughout the developing world and are making great strides to integrate the control programs throughout Africa and Asia. These efforts will make a direct impact on the morbidity, mortality, social and economic well-being of the world's poorest populations. Our mission is to control, and eventually eliminate, these diseases from the planet."

Sustainable Improvements Through "Rapid Impact" Treatment

Each of the GNNTDC partners has a successful track record of working with Ministries of Health and country partners in the administration of mass treatments for NTDs or in the development of new vaccines. They include: the Sabin Vaccine Institute's Human Hookworm Vaccine Initiative; the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative, Imperial College of London; the International Trachoma Initiative; the Lymphatic Filariasis Support Centre, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine; and The Earth Institute, Columbia University.

Among the strategies to be pursued by GNNTDC is a "rapid impact" drug package -- a combination of safe, effective and low cost drugs that can be administered to populations affected by NTDs. The package is tailored to target up to seven NTDs, and, as a result of unprecedented drug donation programs established by major pharmaceutical companies, are low cost. For an estimated $200 million USD/year for five years, more than 500 million individuals could benefit from treatment, which would rapidly contribute to the control and elimination of NTDs and poverty reduction, according to Hotez. The pharmaceutical companies have been in the business of donating drugs to combat these diseases through established programs. These pharmaceutical companies include: GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) (Albendazole for lymphatic filariasis); Johnson & Johnson (Mebendazole™ for hookworm and other STHs [soil- transmitted helminthes] diseases); Merck & Co., Inc. (Mectizan™ for onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis) and Pfizer Inc (Zithromax™ for trachoma). The drug Praziquantel™ (PZQ), used for schistosomiasis, will be partially donated by MedPharm.

While Albendazole is donated by GSK, diethylcarbamazine (DEC) needs to be purchased for the treatment of lymphatic filariasis in countries without river blindness. DEC is a highly effective and inexpensive medication at $4 USD per 1000 tablets, which equates to approximately $0.03 USD per person per year. The GNNTDC will manage funds for the purchase of DEC and PZQ through the established World Health Organization procurement process.

Mass drug administration with the "rapid impact" drug package could lead to the elimination of lymphatic filariasis and trachoma as global public health problems, and would also dramatically help to control the effects of five other NTDs. The development and distribution of new generation NTD vaccines would prevent re-infection from several NTDs and lead to their sustainable control and elimination. These "antipoverty vaccines," which would combat diseases such as schistosomiasis and hookworm, will be folded into the "rapid impact" drug package as they are developed.

GNNTDC outcomes would help to achieve seven out of eight of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals, including those relating to disease, poverty, development, maternal health, child mortality, gender equality and environmental sustainability.

About GNNTDC:

GNNTDC (www.sabin.org/gnntdc) is a new collaborative organization formalized by the Clinton Global Initiative to facilitate the assault on NTDs with a dual approach: short-term treatment via a five-year "rapid impact" program and long-term research to eliminate these diseases. The GNNTDC is a program of the Sabin Vaccine Institute (www.sabin.org) in Washington, D.C. and is a collaborative effort of the major NTD public-private partnerships, including the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative, International Trachoma Initiative, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine -- Lymphatic Filariasis Support Centre, and The Earth Institute at Columbia University.

Source: Business Wire

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