Neglected Tropical Diseases
Peace Through Vaccine Diplomacy
March 11, 2010
Investments in international public health, including vaccine research and development, can spur poverty reduction, improve foreign relations, and promote global security says Sabin President Dr. Peter Hotez in the Science editorial, “Peace Through Vaccine Diplomacy,” released today.
Citing the little known collaboration between American and Russian scientists—led by Dr. Albert B. Sabin—during the Cold War that resulted in the creation of the oral polio vaccine, Hotez states that similar scientific collaborations between the United States and Islamic nations—where up to one-half of the world’s neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) occur—could lead to great scientific and societal achievements.
Access the full Science editorial here or listen to the podcast interview with Dr. Hotez here.
The Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases Applauds Obama Administration’s Commitment to Controlling and Eliminating NTDs
February 1, 2010
For far too long, devastating, debilitating and often deadly neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) impacting more than 1.4 billion people of the world’s poorest people have been ignored. If President Obama’s proposed FY11 budget is adopted, NTDs will no longer be neglected.
The Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases, an advocacy initiative of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, applauds the Obama Administration for taking the global lead in working to control and eliminate NTDs. Seven of the most common NTDs, representing 90% of the global NTD burden, can be treated for approximately 50 cents per person, per year.
An investment in fighting NTDs is truly a best buy in public health. It is also an investment that cuts across the global health spectrum. For example, combining the treatment of NTDs and malaria is simple, effective and highly affordable.
Neglected Tropical Diseases Not Limited to Tropics: Diseases Found in the Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic
January 26, 2010
Demonstrating that the burden of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) is not just dependent on climate, but mainly related to incidence of poverty, a new paper published in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases details the large number of neglected infections of poverty in the Arctic region and calls for greater research into these devastating, debilitating and sometimes deadly diseases in the region.
“One of the most dramatic illustrations of poverty as the single most important determinant of neglected infections among human populations is the observation that these conditions occur among the poorest people in the Arctic region,” states the paper’s author, Dr. Peter Hotez, President of the Sabin Vaccine Institute and Distinguished Research Professor at George Washington University. Hotez notes that there are a dozen neglected infections of poverty in the region, most of which are foodborne.
2009 Year in Review
January 13, 2010
2009 was a tremendous year here at the Sabin Vaccine Institute as we strove to fulfill our mission of reducing human suffering caused by infectious and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).
From the launch of the first-ever World Pneumonia Day, to securing increased US funding for the control and elimination of NTDs, to the start of the GLP toxicology study for the Na-GST-1 Hookworm Vaccine, to the mobilization of scores of African and Asian leaders for sustainable immunization financing, collectively, the Institute led a large number of efforts to address the burden of hundreds of millions of the world’s poorest individuals suffering from treatable and preventable diseases.
Global Network Ambassador and Actress Alyssa Milano Commits to Matching Donation by Campus Challenge Group Campaign Winner
January 11, 2010
The Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases announced today that up to $25,000 of a previous donation that actress Alyssa Milano pledged in the fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), will be used to match the donations raised by the winning Campus Challenge university group campaign.
The Campus Challenge is a major component of Just 50 Cents, the Global Network’s signature grassroots campaign. The Campus Challenge is a contest which provides an opportunity for full-time undergraduate and graduate college students to become Student Ambassadors in the fight to prevent and eliminate the world’s most common NTDs. The contest, which was launched on November 2, 2009, will end on April 2, 2010.
How to Cure 1 Billion People? Defeat Neglected Tropical Diseases
December 17, 2009
Sabin President Dr. Peter Hotez details how 1 billion individuals suffering from neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) can be easily treated in “How to Cure 1 Billion People?—Defeat Neglected Tropical Diseases” released today in the January 2010 issue of Scientific American.
Key Concepts discussed in the article include:
- A group of seven tropical diseases, mostly caused by parasitic worms, afflict a billion impoverished people worldwide. They seldom kill directly but cause lifelong misery that stunts children’s growth, leaves adults unable to function to their fullest, and heightens the risk of other diseases.
- Fortunately, they can be easily treated, often with a single pill. Various agencies and foundations are collaborating to deliver these drugs, although they have reached only about 10 percent of the population so far.
- The U.S. has its own neglected parasitic diseases that affect millions of rural and urban poor.
Access the full article on Scientific American's website here.
Improving female reproductive health and empowerment through control of neglected tropical diseases
November 23, 2009
Washington, D.C. November 23, 2009-- Controlling neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in developing countries would help improve the reproductive health and rights of girls and women in the poorest countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean, according to a new editorial published November 23 in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. The analysis demonstrates that NTDs are “important factors that impair reproductive health in developing countries; increase the transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs); and promote stigma and gender inequality.”
Anemia is a common condition linked to NTDs, with dangerous potential consequences among women in developing countries. The editorial notes that an estimated 20% of maternal deaths in Africa are attributed to anemia, which is also a key risk factor for infant mortality and low birth weight.
The Neglected Tropical Diseases and Their Devastating Health and Economic Impact on the Member Nations of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference
2009
by Peter J. Hotez
New Analysis Reveals that Neglected Tropical Diseases are Devastating Member Nations of the Islamic Conference
October 27, 2009
Washington, D.C. October 27, 2009--A new analysis in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, reveals that disabling, debilitating and sometimes deadly neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are devastating the member nations of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). The OIC is comprised of 57 nations and serves as the “collective voice of the Muslim world.”
In addition to several prosperous oil- and gas-producing nations in the Middle East, the OIC nations also include some of the poorest countries in the world as well as middle-income countries with large areas of poverty. Worldwide, NTDs impact more than 1.4 billion people living on less than $1.25 a day, trapping them in an endless cycle of poverty and suffering.
Sabin at CGI
September 24, 2009
The Sabin Vaccine Institute was honored to be featured twice at this year’s Clinton Global Initiative. On Wednesday, September 23, President Clinton announced 
that the Global Network joined the Inter-American Development Bank in announcing their commitment to mobilize $30 million from the public and private sectors to raise awareness and funds in support of NTD control and elimination in the Americas, supported by technical assistance from the Pan American Health Organization.
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