Filariasis: What is it and What is Being Done?
Filariasis is an infectious disease that is caused by a thread-like parasitic roundworm. The parasite is transmitted to humans through mosquitoes when they bite (Figure 1). There are two types of parasitic worms that cause filariasis– Wucheria bancrofti and Brugia malayi. Infected people may or may not experience symptoms early on. Classic symptoms that usually […]
Leishmaniasis: What is it and What is Being Done?
Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease caused by the Leishmania parasite. There are several kinds of Leishmaniasis that can occur in people, but cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis are the most common. This infection is spread by bites from phlebotomine sand flies, which can be seen Figure 1 (CDC, 2013). Visceral Leishmaniasis is the most serious infection […]
African Sleeping Sickness: What is it and What is Being Done To Stop it?
African Trypanosomiasis, or African Sleeping Sickness, is a vector borne parasitic disease. The disease is transmitted by an infected Tsetse fly. As the infected fly takes a blood meal from its mammalian host, parasites enter the host through the lymphatic system and into the bloodstream. Once inside the bloodstream, the parasite turns into trypomastigotes, which […]
Dengue Fever: What is it and What is Being Done to Stop it?
Dengue fever is a mosquito borne viral infection that causes a flu-like illness and if not treated, can worsen into severe dengue and become lethal. The female mosquito that transmits Dengue fever is also responsible for spreading Chikungunya disease, yellow fever, and Zika virus (WHO, 2016). Currently, about one-third of the world’s population is at […]
Chagas Disease: What is it and How is it Being Treated?
Chagas Disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. The parasite is transmitted to animals and humans through insects and is found only in the Americas, predominantly in rural areas of Latin America. Currently there are roughly 6 to 7 million people infected with Chagas disease, mostly in Latin America (CDC, 2010). The disease presents […]
Onchocerciasis: What is it and what is being done to help those afflicted?
Onchocerciasis, or River Blindness, is a member of the Neglected Tropical Disease group. River Blindness is caused by the parasitic worm known as Onchocerca volvulus. Transmission occurs when someone is bitten by a blackfly that contains the parasite. The name River Blindness was given to the disease because the blackflies live and breed by […]
Schistosomiasis: What is it and What is The Current Status?
Schistosomiasis is an infectious disease caused by a parasite that is carried by freshwater snails. The disease is currently prevalent in over 78 countries. It is transmitted when skin comes in contact with freshwater that has contaminated snails. The larvae from these snails infect the person and get into the bloodstream, where they are able […]
Guinea Worm: What is it and what is being done to eradicate it?
Guinea Worm disease is caused by Dracunculus medinensis, one of the largest parasitic worms to infect humans. A female Guinea Worm can carry 3 million embryos and can be as long as 80 cm and as wide as 20 mm. The parasite is contracted through contaminated water. The parasite is contracted when someone consumes contaminated […]
