About 20 types of tropical diseases are included in the category of neglected diseases.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — About 20 kinds tropical disease included in the category of neglected diseases. That is, too little funds are invested in research and treatment. But this disease threatens the health of 1.7 billion people.
The most complete biodiversity is found in the tropics. This area is home to about two-thirds of all plant and animal species in the world. There are many more yet to be discovered.
This richness of flora and fauna also means a wealth of innumerable parasites, all of which can be harmful to humans. Most of them are insects. For example mosquitoes. Mosquitoes help parasites enter the human body, where they can cause dangerous diseases.
From elephant feet to infertility
If mosquitoes carry larvae from nematode worms, the larvae can enter the bloodstream when the mosquito bites, and trigger what is called “filariasis” or elephantiasis.
In this disease, microscopic worms or “filariae” multiply in the human body. If a mosquito bites a person who has the disease, the worms in that person’s body can infect the mosquito which in turn infects other people.
A number of species Nematodes accumulate in the lymphatic vessels. Therefore, the lymph fluid cannot flow properly. As a result, the network swells. The most frequently affected are the feet. The deformation caused by this disease, is known as elephantiasis or “elephantiasis.”
