Tropical Diseases Being Neglected in U.S. Citizens

When you hear mention of tropical disease, it brings to mind thoughts of tropical islands, jungles and rainforests. Yet, in actuality, many Americans are suffering from tropical diseases, possibly in your own back yard. Based on a newly released analysis, these diseases are occurring in poverty-stricken areas of the U.S, most often in the Mississippi Delta, Appalachia, Mexican border areas, as well as in some inner cities. The debilitating effects of tropical disease such as heart disease, epilepsy, and even mental retardation have forever changed the lives of thousands of people.

Even in the U.S., one of the richest nations, there are areas where people are very poor and in need of better health care and infection prevention measures. Developed countries, such as the U.S., focus most research and treatment testing on HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria leading to neglected disease problems. These neglected diseases or tropical Diseases are going untreated and causing millions of deaths in the U.S. annually.

The new analysis that was recently published in the Neglected Tropical Diseases journal focused on the need for more knowledge and treatments to prevent and treat the diseases. Neglected tropical diseases have caused chronic disabilities, hindered children's development and affected pregnancies, even though many of the diseases are preventable. Because these diseases seem to fall off the radar unless there is an epidemic that effects a large number of people, most people don't realize the severity of the diseases and the impact that they have on lives in the impoverished areas of the U.S. The limited access to healthcare limits treatment for those suffering from the neglected viral diseases and the lack of research limits doctor's knowledge of the diseases and their signs, symptoms and best treatments.

There are several tropical diseases typically found in poverty stricken areas of the United States. Cytomegalovirus is a virus that can cause mental retardation in babies and is transmitted from the mother to the baby while in the womb and is seen in over 6,000 African-American babies annually. Toxoplasmosis is seen in thousands of infected newborns and is caused from exposure to parasites that are carried by cats, and can cause mental retardation. Trichomoniasis is transmitted sexually and affects around 880,000 Africa-American women. It is a parasitic infection that causes ulcers and can lead to HIV in both a mother and a baby. Toxocariasis, another disease caused by a parasite or blood sucking insect, causes asthma and infects up to 208 million African-American children. Chagas' is also linked to a parasite and can cause severe damage to the heart. It is predominately seen in Hispanics. The leading cause of epilepsy in Hispanics is caused from Cysticercosis. Found on playgrounds and in soil around homes where pets have not been de-wormed and is spread in dirty drinking water through tapeworm eggs and worm diseases.

Those who live in poverty have many struggles to overcome. The poverty threshold in the United States in 2007 for a single person younger than retirement age was $10,787 U.S. and the threshold for a couple with two children was $21,027. Some struggle to find food for nourishment and the new study shows several areas there is not even clean drinking water available based on the diseases contracted. The new analysis shows the United States needs to not only focus research and treatment on the big three diseases, HIV, TB and Malaria, but to also focus efforts to prevent and treat Tropical Diseases. There is currently an urgent need for existing treatments to be filtered into the poverty areas and provide education in regards to prevention methods, and screenings that can be performed to help render healthy children.