Urogenital schistosomiasis is a common neglected tropical disease in many rural communities in African countries, with patches of infection in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Globally, an estimated 239 million people are currently infected, with burden estimated at more than 3.5 million disability ... -adjusted life years (DALYs). In many endemic areas, severely infected individuals may suffer fibrosis of the bladder, kidney damage, bladder cancer, and death if untreated. This, however, depends on several factors such as host-parasite genetics, degree and length of exposure, intensity of infection, host immune response to the parasites, and coinfections with other tropical diseases such as malaria and HIV-1. more

The brief concludes that sustaining the continuity of EHS requires policies that ensure a whole-society and systems strengthening approach. This involves increased health care investment, community engagement, disease control regulations, and multisector approaches to improve resilience, EHS quality ... , and equity. more

Addressing the threat of antimalarial drug resistance. This year’s report spotlights the growing threat of antimalarial drug resistance. Partial resistance to artemisinin derivatives – the backbone of malaria treatments after failures of chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine​ – has now b ... een confirmed or suspected in at least 8 countries in Africa, and there are potential signs of declining efficacy of some of the drugs that are combined with artemisinin. more