Could anemia be used to assess the burden and control of neglected tropical diseases?
In this week’s PLoS Medicine, a team of researchers argues that measuring anemia could be a good way of monitoring the burden and control of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) such as schistosomiasis and intestinal worms.
Imelda Bates (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK) and colleagues say that the prevalence of anemia in a community might be a good indicator of the burden of NTDs in that community since anemia prevalence is objective and quantifiable, anaemia is a major complication of several NTDs, it can be measured even in the most remote areas, and it changes in a predictable fashion with alterations in the burden of NTDs.
Citation: Bates I, McKew S, Sarkinfada F (2007) Anaemia: A useful indicator of neglected disease burden and control. PLoS Med 4(8): e231.
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CONTACT:
Imelda Bates
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Disease Control Strategy Group
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Liverpool, L3 5QA
United Kingdom
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Source: Andrew Hyde
Public Library of Science