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Last Updated: May 5, 2009 - 12:58:27 PM |
WEDNESDAY June 25, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- A group of germs, viruses and parasites that are typically associated with tropical developing countries are still plaguing poor areas of the United States, according to a new study published in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
In the group are 24 "neglected infections of poverty" including schistosomiasis, a parasitic infection found in Africa; brucellosis, a bacterial infection from tainted dairy products; and dengue fever, a viral infection commonly seen in tropical Asia and South America, Los Angles Times reports.
These 24 diseases affect possibly up to million people in the country, according to Dr. Peter Hotez, the study author and professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Disease of George Washington University, cited by the times.
Ascariasis, caused by the parasitic roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides living in the intestine alone, affects 4 million people in the South and Appalachia in 1974, according to the last survey, cited by Reuters.
Other notable infections include Strongyloidiasis caused by a threadworm that lives throughout the body and affects 68,000 to 100,000 people, Cysticercosis caused by the pork tapeworm and giardiasis caused by a common parasite.
These 24 diseases can cause trouble to child development and reduce worker productivity, and worsen poverty, the study says.
For instance, toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection that can pass from mother to infant at birth, causes mental retardation in the child. The disease is mostly found in inner cities and poor Southern areas posing a 10 times higher risk to many newborns than phenylketonuria.
Another risk for newborns comes from cytomegalovirus, which is estimated to infect 27,002 newborns each year, causing deafness and mental retardation.
The commonly neglected diseases often result from poor sanitation or inadequate healthcare and they may be brought to the country from overseas or have been existent in the country for a long time. They primarily affect people in the poverty-stricken regions such as Appalachia, inner cities, Mississippi Delta and the border with Mexico, the report says.
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