Odds, challenges and new approaches in the control of helminthiasis, an Asian study

The time is passing, and the worms are still a major struggle for local people in Asian countries, especially the less empowered and in a situation of social vulnerability. We are working in the field in Laos, Thailand, and the Philippines where the usual control programs based only on human treatme...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Marcello Otake Sato, Poom Adsakwattana, Ian Kendrich C. Fontanilla, Jun Kobayashi, Megumi Sato, Tiengkhan Pongvongsa, Raffy Jay C. Fornillos, Jitra Waikagul
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2019-02-01
Series:Parasite Epidemiology and Control
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405673118300485
Description
Summary:The time is passing, and the worms are still a major struggle for local people in Asian countries, especially the less empowered and in a situation of social vulnerability. We are working in the field in Laos, Thailand, and the Philippines where the usual control programs based only on human treatment are partially effective. Areas with mass drug administration could diminish, but not eliminate STHs of endemic areas. The persistence of helminthic NTDs in the environment and animal hosts makes the eradication a very difficult task. Great changes in the landscapes of endemic areas, such as construction of dams, can change the fauna and the lifestyle of local people. Those changes can improve infrastructure, but it can also lead to social vulnerability. The challenge, then, is to conceive new and directed control programs for helminthiasis based on multi- and transdisciplinary approaches diminishing the health gap in a globalized world. In this short review, we summarize the actual scenario concerning the main helminths in Southeast Asia and how an environmental DNA approach and the use of GIS could contribute to surveillance and control programs. Keywords: Neglected tropical diseases, Worms, Social vulnerability, Environmental DNA, GIS, One-health, Ecohealth
ISSN:2405-6731