Neuroparasitology and Tropical Neurology: Chapter 1. Neurological aspects of neglected tropical diseases: an unrecognized burden

Neuroparasitology and Tropical Neurology: Chapter 1. Neurological aspects of neglected tropical diseases: an unrecognized burden
ISBN-10
0128079452
ISBN-13
9780128079454
Series
Neuroparasitology and Tropical Neurology
Category
Medical
Pages
432
Language
English
Published
2013-07-03
Publisher
Elsevier Inc. Chapters
Authors
Albis Francesco Gabrielli, Jean Jannin

Description

Neglected tropical diseases are a group of mostly infectious diseases that thrive among poor populations in tropical countries. A significant proportion of the conditions affecting the neurological system in such countries can be attributed to neglected tropical diseases of helminth, protozoan, bacterial, or viral origin. The neurological burden of neglected tropical diseases has not been thoroughly investigated yet, but is expected to be significant; its full appreciation, estimation, and recognition present significant challenges, as shown by the case of the “silent epidemic” of epilepsy. While tropical infections involving the nervous system are today largely preventable or treatable, as vaccines or chemotherapeutic agents are available to kill or neutralize the responsible agents, associated morbidity – when established – cannot be cured. In resource-poor settings it is likely that many infections will not be treated and will therefore progress into their advanced and severe stages, thus being increasingly associated with irreversible morbidity; this is also the case for neurological morbidity, which often entails permanent disability. Public health should aim at reducing the burden of tropical neurological diseases through interventions addressing the infection, the associated morbidity, and the disability deriving from it.

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