JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES

Abstract

Tropical countries constitute a unique biological zone. They are endowed with abundant sunshine, rainfall, and are the home of some of the dense forests. Tropical countries also provide a unique opportunity for the existence of many diseases. The large poverty stricken population living in these areas supports the agents that cause these infections by their habits as well as economic and social inabilities. The governments in these areas have long ignored these tropical infections. Though preventive strategies and treatment options are available for these maladies in the developed parts of the world, they are not available for the people living in poorer areas of Africa, Asia, and Americas. Some of the diseases in this group are fatal. But the treatment has not changed much from colonial times as little research has taken place on this front. The available treatments are often toxic and the parasites are developing resistance to the known drugs. The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed 17 Tropical diseases with the above features and called them Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)