UK boosts tropical disease funding

(January 23, 2012) Britain is increasing by five times its funding for the international effort to eliminate infectious tropical diseases. The United Kingdom’s International Development Minister Stephen O'Brien said funding for Neglected Tropical Diseases is to increase from £50 million to £245 million between 2011 and 2015 as part of a global push to eradicate the diseases. Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) current affect one billion people and kill more than half a million every year. The extra money will help supply more than four treatments every second for people in the developing world for the next four years, protecting more than 140 million people, the Department for International Development (DFID) said. The move comes ahead of a conference in London on January 30 when the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - which works to improve healthcare and reduce extreme poverty globally - will join governments, NGOs, and other organisations in making commitments to tackle NTDs. Britain's increased aid is largely focused on four diseases - elephantiasis, river blindness, bilharzia and Guinea Worm.
Elephantiasis is caused by a mosquito-borne parasite which leads to abnormal enlargement of the limbs and genitals, and bilharzia which spread through contaminated water, impairs child growth, damages internal organs and can lead to death or chronic ill-health. River blindness is spread by parasitic worms and cause severe discomfort and sight loss and Guinea worm, another water-borne infection, can leave people bedridden for months before the parasitic worm, which can grow up to over 9 cm. long, emerges.