Communities of practice
Editor’s choice
27 Aug 2008
TropIKA.net is about communication and networking, with a focus on the infectious diseases of poverty. We are, however, only one of an increasing number of initiatives within what has become known as eHealth. A recent eHealth conference is described in a TropIKA.net news
story and also in a blog by Mzamose Gondwe, one of our editorial team.
Amongst other items of note in our News section has been an innovative measure, from the US Food & Drug Administration, which may encourage pharmaceutical manufacturers to pursue more potential treatments for infectious diseases. We also highlight the forthcoming Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, which will assess progress towards reform of the aid system. We plan to bring you further reports on this meeting.
While the impact of infectious disease on global health has lately received increased attention from policy makers, there is still a tendency to focus narrowly on a limited selection of infectious diseases. This proved to be the case in a recent report from a UK government committee, which we discuss in a TropIKA.net editorial opinion article.
Research
We continue to highlight, with editorial commentaries, recent research publications that we consider to be of particular interest. These include a special issue of the journal Parasitology which addresses the important, but neglected issue of co-infection. Three papers in the special issue highlight the lack of evidence on the interaction between helminth and malaria co-infection, and HIV and helminth co-infection.
International bodies, including the World Health Organization, often issue guidelines for practitioners who treat patients with infectious diseases, but there is a growing recognition that such guidelines must be adapted to take account of local circumstances. An encouraging report, Adapting a generic tuberculosis control operational guideline and scaling it up in China is discussed in another of our commentaries.
The massive impact of malaria on individuals and communities is of course well recognized but it may be even greater than realised. A study from Uganda suggests that a quarter of children who survive cerebral malaria may be left with long-term cognitive impairment.
We have recently featured a number of research articles seeking to evaluate the effectiveness of intermittent preventive treatment for malaria in infancy (IPTi) and in pregnancy (IPTp). A report from the US Institute of Medicine has assessed the evidence so far available on IPTi and concludes that it is a promising intervention.
Paul Chinnock
Editor-in-Chief, TropIKA.net
29 Jul 2008
Like other forms of research, a systematic review of the evidence can sometimes lead to a major advance in understanding but, perhaps more frequently, the conclusion is that more data is still needed. We have highlighted a number of systematic reviews recently, some of them Cochrane reviews. Of particular interest is an updated review of urinary schistosomiasis treatment, which alters the conclusions of the earlier version and calls upon the World Health Organization to change its recommendations on drugs for this condition.
The use of intermittent preventive treatment for malaria is now a subject of great interest. A Cochrane review of its use with children under the age of six years found 21 trials with over 19,000 participants and concluded that children who had received either regular antimalarial prophylaxis or intermittent treatment were less likely to develop malaria. However, there was no change in the overall death rate and the reviewers stress that there is still much more that we need to learn about this form of treatment.
Our News section has included some encouraging developments regarding funding. We recently described the new Advance Market Commitment (AMC) scheme. Now, the US government is increasing its support for control activities against tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS. Shortly after this announcement, former US president Bill Clinton said that the foundation he has established will endeavour to stabilise the wild fluctuations in the price of artemisinin.
One funding initiative has, however, been passing through a trouble time. We profile the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership and interview its Executive Director Charles Mgone, who is seeking to turn the project around. Dr Mgone joins a number of key figures who have been interviewed by TropIKA.net lately. Others include Yohei Sasakawa, chairman of the Nippon Foundation, who described his life-long commitment to fighting leprosy.
Leprosy researchers have often made use of the armadillo, an animal confined to the warmer parts of the Americas, which is one of the few non-human species known to contract this disease. But its relevance is not just as a research model. One of the articles recently highlighted in the Research Articles section of TropIKA.net team is a new study suggesting that in the southern USA and Mexico human cases of leprosy may sometimes acquired be from armadillos, which are sometimes eaten in poorer communities.
Paul Chinnock
Editor-in-Chief, TropIKA.net
17 Jul 2008
Malaria: a matter of organization
As well as original articles, TropIKA.net highlights interesting items that have been recently published elsewhere. Development economist Jeffrey Sachs always seems to be in the news. As an economist he is often inclined to consider health care interventions in terms of whether they offer a good bargain. In a recent article in Scientific American he says that the estimated $3 billion needed annually for effective malaria control is ‘one of the world’s great bargains’. Not for the first time, he argues that treatment and preventive strategies already available can bring about huge cuts in mortality and morbidity. According to Sachs, ‘The challenge of controlling the disease in Africa by 2010 is fundamentally organizational, not technical.’
Paul Chinnock
Editor-in-Chief, TropIKA.net
11 Jul 2008
TropIKA.net news exclusives
Leprosy has not appeared frequently on TropIKA.net but we have recently published an in-depth interview with Yohei Sasakawa, chairman of the Nippon Foundation, who highlights the human rights aspects of the fight against the disease. Yohei Sasakawa’s account of his life-long personal involvement in this cause makes for compelling reading.
Our recent news stories also include coverage of the imminent announcement of a new funding mechanism – the Advance Market Commitment (AMC) – intended to stimulate the development and manufacture of new vaccines against the infectious diseases of poverty. But the AMC already has its critics, as discussed in our article.
Vivax malaria – a neglected tropical disease?
Our Research Editors continue to scan the literature for new research that seems worthy of comment. A paper chosen for such a commentary is one of a pair of articles published in PLoS Medicine, presenting new clinical data on patients with malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax. Most malaria research and control efforts are devoted to malaria due to P. falciparum. This is because P. vivax malaria, though widespread, is usually regarded as relatively ‘benign’. The two new studies add to the weight of evidence suggesting that many severe (and some fatal) malaria cases are actually caused by P. vivax. In recent years, the welcome increase in funding for malaria has led to general agreement that it should no longer be described as a neglected tropical disease. Vivax malaria seems to be a different matter; many researchers argue that we should accord it that ‘neglected’ label.
Paul Chinnock
Editor-in-Chief, TropIKA.net
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