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PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases Jan 2024Little attention has been paid to neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in high-income countries and no literature provides an overview of NTDs in Japan. This scoping... (Review)
Review
Little attention has been paid to neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in high-income countries and no literature provides an overview of NTDs in Japan. This scoping review aims to synthesize the latest evidence and information to understand epidemiology of and public health response to NTDs in Japan. Using three academic databases, we retrieved articles that mentioned NTDs in Japan, written in English or Japanese, and published between 2010 and 2020. Websites of key public health institutions and medical societies were also explored. From these sources of information, we extracted data that were relevant to answering our research questions. Our findings revealed the transmission of alveolar echinococcosis, Buruli ulcer, Chagas disease, dengue, foodborne trematodiases, mycetoma, scabies, and soil-transmitted helminthiasis as well as occurrence of snakebites within Japan. Other NTDs, such as chikungunya, cystic echinococcosis, cysticercosis, leishmaniasis, leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, rabies, and schistosomiasis, have been imported into the country. Government agencies tend to organize surveillance and control programs only for the NTDs targeted by the Infectious Disease Control Law, namely, echinococcosis, rabies, dengue, and chikungunya. At least one laboratory offers diagnostic testing for each NTD except for dracunculiasis, human African trypanosomiasis, onchocerciasis, and yaws. No medicine is approved for treatment of Chagas disease and fascioliasis and only off-label use drugs are available for cysticercosis, opisthorchiasis, human African trypanosomiasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, and yaws. Based on these findings, we developed disease-specific recommendations. In addition, three policy issues are discussed, such as lack of legal frameworks to organize responses to some NTDs, overreliance on researchers to procure some NTD products, and unaffordability of unapproved NTD medicines. Japan should recognize the presence of NTDs within the country and need to address them as a national effort. The implications of our findings extend beyond Japan, emphasizing the need to study, recognize, and address NTDs even in high-income countries.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Japan; Onchocerciasis; Trypanosomiasis, African; Neglected Diseases; Rabies; Chikungunya Fever; Yaws; Tropical Medicine; Schistosomiasis; Chagas Disease; Cysticercosis; Dengue
PubMed: 38166156
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011854 -
Le Infezioni in Medicina 2023Dracunculiasis (Guinea Worm Disease) is a chronic disease that is primarily found in the arid and poor areas of our planet where water supply systems consist of open... (Review)
Review
Dracunculiasis (Guinea Worm Disease) is a chronic disease that is primarily found in the arid and poor areas of our planet where water supply systems consist of open wells. This parasitic disease is transmitted to humans not only through the consumption of water contaminated with crustaceans harbouring larvae of , but also through the ingestion of paratenic (frogs) or transport hosts (fish). The natural progression of the disease is caused by adult worms invading connective tissues, leading to blistering and ulceration of the extremities, approximately one year after infection. In 1986, the Guinea Worm Eradication Program (GWEP) was launched and since then, the incidence of the disease has been reduced by over 99%. Indeed, the most recent global report from 2022 shows only 13 cases of human dracunculiasis worldwide, the lowest annual incidence ever reported. The new found knowledge of potential animal reservoirs and the recent discovery of possible edible paratenic hosts could pose challenges to the future eradication of this debilitating disease. Therefore, attempts to eradicate this parasitosis should not be postponed. Intensive research is needed in this neglected area of medicine, now that the goal is within reach.
PubMed: 38075414
DOI: 10.53854/liim-3104-9 -
MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly... Nov 2023The effort to eradicate Dracunculus medinensis, the etiologic agent of dracunculiasis, or Guinea worm disease, commenced at CDC in 1980. In 1986, with an estimated 3.5...
The effort to eradicate Dracunculus medinensis, the etiologic agent of dracunculiasis, or Guinea worm disease, commenced at CDC in 1980. In 1986, with an estimated 3.5 million cases worldwide in 20 African and Asian countries, the World Health Assembly called for dracunculiasis elimination. The Guinea Worm Eradication Program (GWEP) was established to help countries with endemic dracunculiasis reach this goal. GWEP is led by The Carter Center and supported by partners that include the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and CDC. In 2012, D. medinensis infections were unexpectedly confirmed in Chadian dogs, and since then, infections in dogs, cats, and baboons have posed a new challenge for GWEP, as have ongoing civil unrest and insecurity in some areas. By 2022, dracunculiasis was endemic in five countries (Angola, Chad, Ethiopia, Mali, and South Sudan), with only 13 human cases identified, the lowest yearly total ever reported. Animal infections, however, were not declining at the same rate: 686 animal infections were reported in 2022, including 606 (88%) in dogs in Chad. Despite these unanticipated challenges as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, countries appear close to reaching the eradication goal. GWEP will continue working with country programs to address animal infections, civil unrest, and insecurity, that challenge the eradication of Guinea worm.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Dogs; Disease Eradication; Dracunculiasis; Pandemics; Global Health; World Health Organization
PubMed: 37943706
DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7245a4 -
Indian Journal of Dermatology,... 2023
PubMed: 37317714
DOI: 10.25259/IJDVL_909_20_RT