The Threat of Neglected Tropical Diseases
You've probably never heard of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), even though they are the most common afflictions of the world's poorest people -- more than HIV/AIDS and malaria combined. In all my travels to developing nations during 10 years of humanitarian efforts, I had not heard of them either. And that was shocking to me. How was it possible that diseases that make life miserable for one out of every six people on earth had gone virtually unnoticed?
I learned about NTDs when I heard Dr. Peter Hotez speak at least year's Clinton Global Initiative and I felt compelled to help raise awareness of this injustice. In the past year, we have made tremendous progress in educating people about the impact of NTDs on the developing world -- but the fact of the matter is that most people still don't know what they are.
These diseases are rightfully called "neglected" because the lives they destroy are those of "the poorest of the poor" -- one billion men, women and children who have no power, who have no voice. Diseases like river blindness, that's caused by black flies that bite their victims near the eyes and leave behind parasitic worms to destroy sight. And snail fever, which you get by simply bathing or washing in a stream, and which causes severe liver or kidney damage. And elephantiasis, so named because it leads to unspeakable deformities, like swelling of the legs to elephant-sized proportions, making even walking impossible. Beyond health, NTDs contribute to an ongoing cycle of poverty and stigma that leaves tens of millions unable to work, go to school or participate in family and community life. This cycle of poverty goes on and on, from generation to generation, trapping individuals, families and even entire communities in hopeless misery and despair.
But now, all this is finally changing... I am incredibly proud to join President Clinton and a number of political leaders, celebrities, athletes and global health experts in leading a call to action to stop NTDs now. On September 27, President Clinton focused the world's attention on NTDs by helping inaugurate a bold, new campaign to mobilize $25 million to control and prevent NTDs. It's the Sabin Vaccine Institute's STOP NTDs Campaign. Through STOP NTDs, we are asking people to sign an online petition calling on the U.S. Congress to create an NTD Day in 2008, and to increase funding for NTD control.
The good news -- no, the great news -- is that NTD control is, as Senator Ted Kennedy best describes it, "one of the best buys in public health." You can control and potentially eliminate the seven most common NTDs for just 50 cents per person, per year -- the average cost of parking your car at a meter for one hour, and a fraction of the cost of antiviral treatment for HIV/AIDS and mult-idrug therapy for tuberculosis.
Jackie Chan, Dikembe Mutombo, Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, Senator Kennedy and I are among the many people who are strongly supporting the STOP NTDs Campaign. Now, it's your turn to take action. Log on to www.stopntds.org, watch the campaign video and sign the online petition and, if you can, make a tax-deductible donation. Remember, just $25 will protect 50 people for an entire year.
Together, we can help lift the world's most neglected people out of poverty and disease.
So please join me today in the fight against NTDs.
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Bush ignores NTDs! How heartless can he be? He refuses to do anything about this grave crises!
Indict Bush Now!
Here is an interest link concerning ntd
http://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/en/
People are going blind throughout Africa because of a lack of enough Vitamin A in their diets or as supplementaries. Something that's available in pill form in bottles, for a few dollars, and readily available throughout the U.S., is beyond the reach of Africans who therefore have no options but blindness. Can the wealthy countries at least eliminate that one affliction by getting adequate vitamins to the poor on that continent (and elsewhere)?
No, bozo. We import food from all over the world don’t you know? If other countries are using DDT and worse chemicals then we end up eating it anyway. The food we import is just barely looked at. Just like the recent lead poison in the products we import from China. It is in our own interests as well as those we seek to rescue to make sure the world is clean and safe; people are healthy and disease free. The immigrants run across the border into our country everyday.
Next time you are at the grocery store look at the food and think: Where did this food come from? Look at the label on the fresh fruit and vegetables. Then open your eyes wide.
As usual, it only took the reading of 3 comments to hit one that said "IT IS ALL AMERICAN'S FAULT".
You must have better vision than me because I see no such thing. But I do see a typical comment from a well-trained RushMonkey, and yes, that would be you!
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if we can't give them clean water in these countries..
vaccines won't be enough.. ever..
it is good to see that those with a place at the table speak of those who don't.. "good on you, Alyssa"..
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Knowledge - shared
Awareness - raised
Petition - signed
Donation - pending
Nice work! Your post sent me off on a whirlwind tangent of benevolence, and I somehow ended up with a UNICEF trick or treat fundraiser on my website.
Kudos - Alyssa
It's about population control folks...thinning of the herd so to speak. With the absence of world wars this is the only option, along with famine and HIV to eradicate large numbers of humans. We all know that it is possible to assist these people but as long as WE have our big screen TVs, gas guzzling SUVs, sports, and prescription happy pills we act as if it's not happening.
There are more people on this planet living in poverty than there are those who can truly claim to be free but greed prevents us from helping.
What the IMF and WHO do to the poor of the world each day is criminal and Big Agro seeks to control every aspect of the food chain to finish of millions more by ensuring that they cannot provide enough food to sustain themselves while muitinational corporations rape and loot their countries natural resources and Big Pharma uses then as human guinea pigs for drug testing. The american people simply don't care.
Since you're being so chipper tonite, send condoms.
Thanks for alerting us to yet one more way that Americans can flush more money down the toilet known as Africa.
We pull billions in natural resources out of Africa every year, and you begrudge $25 mil from VOLUNTEERS.
For shame.
What are you talking about, oil and diamonds? Are we not paying them for these things (at exorbitant prices)?
As opposed to flushing money down the toiltes known as Private Contractors?
A very informative, enlightening post. Thank you!
Thank you, and welcome to HuffPo.
Wow.
Re Malaria: World Swim Against Malaria has raised $1.8 million to fight malaria, simply by buying mosquito nets for $5 each. Pledge. Swim. Save.
http://www.worldswimagainstmalaria.com/
Every day, enough children to fill SEVEN JUMBO JETS dies from malaria. Watch the ad:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid187784346/bclid187759346/bctid187745273
(Granted the 50 cents per person per year for the NTD meds is but a tenth the cost of one malaria net...)
Really sad.
We are so proud of our technology advancements, but until people and animals stop suffering and there are no more poor in the world, this will continue being the very same primitive and cruel world. Nothing has change so far.
Gemma
Tell me when I should stop laughing. Its just this sort of infantile romaticism that makes the Democratic Party, of which I remain a member, look more stupid by the day.
Reducing poverty and human suffering is "infantile romantism"? What kind of cruel insensitive person are you? You sound like the people who were making starving Ethiopian jokes during the decade-long horrific African drought in the eighties.
Sorry, but we as a species cannot solve huge macro problems such as NTDs and poverty without a large, simply state goal which we then endeavor to achieve. Your cynicism accomplishes far less than the commenter's "infantile romantism", and makes you sound more like Rush Limbaugh than a Democrat.
$25 million.
We spend $200 million in Iraq every DAY.
Infantile romanticism or pragmatic humanitarianism?
So, let's just take three hours "off" in Iraq, and improve the lives of 50 million people.
In our society there is more money and attnetion being pumped in to solving curing erectile dysfunction than saving lives in poor countries. There is a more lucrative career in finding a pill to lose weight than in fighting malnutrition or these diseases. Whatever this says about our society is not good. The fact that we were more concerned with sex and our appearance than the lives of millions of other humans is atrocious.
Signing this petition is a nice gesture, but I would encourage everybody to put their money where their mouth is. You can donate to unicef (or similar organizations) and make even more of a difference. http://www.unicef.org/ceecis/support_1251.html
You are without a doubt the finest thing on T.V., movies and so forth . I never knew until recently that you get involved in stuff. There has never been any doubts about your looks etc. But if you are involved in social stuff , that puts you at another level. What I can't figure is how you manage to stay single. ( Probably because I'm not on the
scene [smile] ) As soon as I can I am going to get involved. Just because of you.
Alyssa Milano-
As a physician of course I would like to see these NTD diseases eliminated
But let's be honest-it's mostly about poverty and the environment not about "parasites and pills"
The very LAST thing I would want to see is an export of the failed high tech treatment oriented US health care system to third world nations.
These diseases will go away when the world cares about third world poverty which historically has not been the case with a few exceptions.
Still -Congratulations on your brave work.God Speed.
Dr. Rick Lippin
http://medicalcrises.blogspot.com
Well, a mosquito net isn't exactly high tech treatment. Also, if you look at the work the Carter Center is doing you will find that simple solutions like a fabric "net" that strains drinking water can eliminate some kind of nasty work parasite commonly found in many African drinking water supplies. These are very low-tech answers to difficult problems. AND they have the virtue of being preventative, rather than reactive. Kudos to low tech and simple education.
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