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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How can NTD'S get into thecountry and goun noticed and untreated?
Illeagal Aliens or legal aliens and tourist carry them into the country in thier luggage, backpacks or their blood stream.
Ships with standing water, creates with trapped insects, or lava in the imports.
Untreated?
Mis-diagonsis and the worng treatments can make the diseases stronger.
BUT THE WORST PROBLEM IS THERE IS NO INSPECTIONS AT THE BORDER AND NO ENOUGH TRAINED INSPECTORS.
Um, Dadw5boys,
I think she is talking about diseases in Africa, South America, etc. Hence the 1 billion people, which is still slightly more than the number of illegal immagrants in the US (or the entire population of the US, but I'm being sarcastic). So border inspections will not stop these diseases. Given that most travel by water, it would not work anyway, or do you want to filter the Rio Grande?
Unless you are some sort of knee jerk immagration activist who wants to blame loose borders for everything, you should really do at least minor research before posting.
THOSE SAME DISESES ARE HERE TOO
You may have missed the point where this was more about disease in other countries.
And about blaming the evil Americans. Look if DDT had not been ignorantly banned, and no IT DID Not cause fragile egg shells and other blatant enviro hysteria, i.e. man made global warming, most of the third world diseases including cholera and malaria along with TB and NTDs would not be a scourge. but , yes we are the evil that causes disease
Dear Alyssa,
First, let me thank you for all the enjoyment my husband and I (we're Mr. and Mr.) have had watching Charmed. We have the whole set and watch it from beginning to end each year. Last night was the episode with the succubus. The series is quite popular in Holland.
Second, thanks for bringing this to the public's attention. I'd only peripherally heard of these diseases and their reach (which with warming could begin to reach further).
Third, thanks for doing something about it. Motivated by you, I'll check this further with an eye to helping.
Lastly, I encourage you anothers to keep an eye on where the funds actually end up. I've recently seen appalling figures on the amount of charity that gets diverted into propping up political systems that are failing to confront these problems to begin with.
Thank you,
H. A.
Steve Petrisky Posted at No 1:
"Thou shalt be suspicious of any humanitarian initiative sponsored by a vaccine institute.
That tops everything else posted. However, "if" this were a VERY worthy goal, then even large amounts of fraud and abuse would not invalidate the program??
I don't think well of myself when regarding such aid programs to the poorest of the poor. Save them so they can reproduce an even greater number of needy? Save them so they can perish in or commit tribal genocides? Save them so they can be malnourished and live in refugee camps? Saving the poor in a world that is already overpopulated and getting worse? and so on. Something counterbalances my charitable instinct==something about governments needing to address these concerns, not appeals to individuals. World governments and local governments. I don't like my empathy being appealed to. Like Steve Petrisky Posted at No 1: "Just a thought."
Dude, You don't want your empathy appealed to?
Reread your post. You don't have any to start with.
Gee, I think you are being overly harsh? I lack empathy if I don't like my empathy being appealed to? Or because I look to the consequential effects of the help being requested?
Maybe so.
In our own country there is a hereditary disease which is almost unknown (see Porphyria the Unknown Disease website if interested).
Many medical personnel can't pronounce the name, and some doctors say casually that that they know nothing about it, so can't deal with it.
Diagnosis is made difficult because laboratories mishandle testing procedures.
The main drug for this ailment costs so much that it is prohibitive.
I agree that we waste money on the businesses of war (see Naomi Klein) and therefore can't be bothered with better health for the poor of the world. In America, some are being made poor and hopeless by Porphyria. And incidentally, about the only publicity, that it is a disease of "vampires," is dead wrong; showbiz undercuts porphs as well.
Alyssa, Although I`m sure your very genuine in your concerns about these diseases can i just point out that most are not poverty related.
They go hand in hand with the environment in which these people live & have been a problem since humankind walked the earth.
My point is noone INCLUDING yourself had ever heard of them until recently because they are just part of life. Quite frankly there are more pressing issues at the moment. It`s a case of priorities! this is not one at the top of my list & i think most people will agree with me.
I think that climate change and nuclear terrorism are greater threats to human existance. However, how can you say that diseases which kill and/or make life miserable for a billion people shouldn't be a priority. We have breast cancer walks every day in this country, yet worldwide, this disease affects fewer people. I am not saying that we should neglect breast cancer, just that other problems should get proportionate attention.
BTW climate change will probably make these NTD's worse, since flooding and warm weather usually enhance the growth of insects and worms....e
I'll bet it would be a "pressing issue" if you yourself were going blind because there were parasitic larvae in your eyes.
It's easy to be cavalier about someone else's misfortune, isn't it?
It's also easy to care about more than one issue at a time.
Here come the feminists yelling yet again ``the children, the poor children!!``
Quite frankly, the human race is a parasite! stick that up you & maybe you will know where i stand on these issues!
"Thou shalt be suspicious of any humanitarian initiative sponsored by a vaccine institute.
Alyssa, please carefully research the funding of the sponsoring institute. Any money from the NIH, Dept of Defense, Dept of Energy, DIA, Dept of Homeland Security indicates a bioweapons interest. Before you were born, military scientists from the Soviet Union, the UK and the US scoured Africa for pathogens and nurtured them into weapons (Marburg, Ebola, West Nile viruses). They usually did this under the guise of vaccinating poor villagers.
We were heavily involved in the indigenous bioweapons testing programs of Rhodesia and South Africa (google Wooter Bassoon+CIA).
Just a thought.
Nice to see someone talking about this issue.
It would help the situation if countries most afflicted by these horrible diseases used the money they have to help their populace rather then buy weapons. I'm astonished when I hear the amount of money spent on weapons by dirt poor countries such as Ethiopia, Somalia, and Eritrea. The West is largely to blame for this. We give these nations aid money and loans, which they then use to buy weapons mostly from western manufactures. The argument justifying such cynical behavior is that if the West didn't sell arms they'd go to China, Russia, or North Korea. I suppose there's truth to this but it's still pretty cynical.
Why is it that people spend more on palaces and tourist traps instead of global hospital networks? Hmmm...
Thank you for bringing attention to this, Good On You.
Kudos Ms. Milano. Now I understand why the Shrub is so scared of "Hollywood values". You and others like Angelina Jolie, John Cusack, Alec Baldwin, George Clooney, et al, are taking the causes that you would think the "leader" of the free world would.
This is why when you hear we are going into a country to better the lives of it's citizens you know it's crap. The Gov't doesn't even try to improve the lives of it's own poor.
I am a proud American and I will say it loud and often- We are caught in a corrupt regime and have had all our rights and liberties systematcially eliminated
Hi Alyssa: Purple Girl, I agree with you, keep on with the strong truth, P.G.!
I have heard of these diseases, but had not heard of this grouping (NTD's). Will go to website. I 2nd the thanks for using your celebrity to speak out to address these issues. We must all do our part (STEP IT UP!) to bring total awareness to so many problems that are neglected. Neglected because Government is so busy advancing/confusing self-interest with the needs of global corporations, propping-up and aiding govt's that act counter-productive to the needs of people world-wide. Only WE THE PEOPLE can scream loud enough and ACT to put a stop to it and reclaim our birthrights. Every $$$ spent wrongly represents immense suffering to so many. Let us get busy to stop this outrage! Let it be! Thanks, Keep on! JaneC
This writer stands in stark contrast to some of our more vacuous, self-absorbed celebrities (ie. Brittany Spears, Lindsay Lohan). Why can't more of the priveledged celebrity class follow her example? Something tells me that this woman wasn't raised by Republicans.
JUST LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE! ;)
Right on, Camel54. Britney needs love and support from all who can help her! This constant vilification cannot help her to reclaim her life or help her children. The exploitation of the MSM makes me sick! It does glaringly reveal their self-interest and feigned concern for "the children's welfare". Thanks, JaneC
"The hippie generation has failed ..." - Maschine
How absurd...t
Many I know have fought hard and warned against the wasteful mindless consumer culture that has lead many Americans to where we now find ourselves. Others, continue to work hard in the educational, the environmental and social fields for little financial reward. So, Maschine, please speak for yourself, do not drag in a wholesale generational view of the tens of thousands of progressives that were not "posers", and the many that continue to work for equity, justice and peace.
You, Ms. Milano, as a young American with some means and apparently an educated conscious, need to continue your efforts in the direction you are heading. Your efforts embrace some of the American values we once witnessed as common place, good luck and please keep up the good work, as you are an asset to all humanity.
Great post, mrwatson! If the world had tried to listen to the enlightened progressives of our/my generarion and implemented change, we could be claiming a very different world for all to enjoy and sustain today and for a future of conscious living. As we all know what happened, these facts alone stand as the resulting proof of corruption and self-interest that threatens us all. This is the chief violation of our CONSTITUTION, to act against the interests of all citizens. Ditto on your comments to Alyssa. Thanks, JaneC
Alyssa : Thank You for your efforts to bring notoriety to this scourge. Perhaps some of the more fortunate on this planet will loosen their purse strings, and let the money flow ! I will sign your petition and pass along to all my e-mail contacts your links. -ralph
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