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Overlooked and underfunded: neglected diseases exert a toll

Can these sidelined conditions gain the traction they deserve?
  1. Michael Eisenstein

    1. Michael Eisenstein is a freelance writer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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Long before it was a flashpoint for controversy in the treatment of COVID-19, the antiparasitic drug ivermectin was helping to turn the tide against onchocerciasis. This infection is caused by tiny worms transmitted by black flies that live near fast-flowing rivers, and can inflict serious damage to the skin and eyes, earning it the common name ‘river blindness’. Ivermectin efficiently kills off the young parasites, known as microfilaria, preventing severe disease — but not eliminating it.

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Nature 598, S20-S22 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-02912-w

This article is part of Nature Index 2021 Infectious disease, an editorially independent supplement. Advertisers have no influence over the content.

Updates & Corrections

  • Correction 19 November 2021: An earlier version of this Index article erroneously stated that trypanosomiasis is borne by mosquitoes. In fact, it is carried by the tsetse fly. It also misidentified the DNDi as a funding organization.

References

  1. Doyle, S. R. et al. PLoS Negl. Trop. Dis. 11, e0005816 (2017).

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  2. Herricks, J. R. et al. PLoS Negl. Trop. Dis. 11, e0005424 (2017).

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