Global health linkage

by Tim Siegenbeek van Heukelom - 25 May 2010 10:30AM

Dengue and malaria are both vector-borne diseases spread by mosquitoes, but are vastly different in nature and even spread by different types of mosquitoes. Dengue causes some 250,000–500,000 severe cases of dengue fever every year, a nasty illness with no licensed vaccine or drug treatment. New research has brought scientists one step closer to a much-needed vaccine.
Snakebites may seem a somewhat trivial health concern, but a global snakebite analysis points out that some 2.5 million people suffer from venomous bites each year and more than 125,000 people die as a result of venomous snakes. Especially in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia, there is a lack of knowledge of effective antivenoms. The WHO launched an online snakebite database this month to support local health practitioners to administer the correct treatment in time.
Even more obscure are diseases like hookworm infection, river blindness and elephantiasis, clearly not common in the developed world. Many of the world's poor still suffer these 'neglected tropical diseases' – sometimes closer to home than expected. A new comprehensive global health initiative by the US President takes aim at eliminating some of these neglected tropical diseases.
The Economist takes a look at a recent Nature article on the relationship between climate change and malaria. The conclusion is interesting: 'claims that a warming climate has led to more widespread disease and death due to malaria are largely at odds with the evidence'.