A Review on the Etiology, Treatment, Administration, and Challenges of Neglected Tropical Diseases in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Onchocerciasis and Four Other NTDs treated by the United Front Against Riverblindness

Title

A Review on the Etiology, Treatment, Administration, and Challenges of Neglected Tropical Diseases in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Onchocerciasis and Four Other NTDs treated by the United Front Against Riverblindness

Description

There are a plethora of tropical diseases plaguing the Congo that are very serious for many reasons. With a health system that fails to reach out and treat, many are being left to die of their illnesses without ever knowing that there was ever a cure or a treatment. A term used to describe diseases of this sort is “neglected tropical diseases”, or NTDs. These are diseases that affect primarily the poorest people of the world and are not given much attention when they would probably be considered devastating and top-priority to treat in developed countries. This paper will focus on a few of the NTDs that the United Front Against Riverblindness focuses on, including onchocerciasis and several others. Onchocerciasis is a disease that originates in Africa, caused by the parasitic worm Onchocerca volvulus that is 5 spread by the bites of the Simulium damnosum black fly. Onchocerciasis, known more commonly as river blindness, is one of the most common preventable causes of blindness in the world via infectious means. It causes tissue damage and scarring, eventually leading to blindness in many cases, as well as dermatologic symptoms such as eczema-like rashes and raised papules.

Creator

Patterson, Faith

Publisher

Rider University

Date

Relation

Baccalaureate Honors Program

Format

Adobe Acrobat PDF

Language

English

Type

Capstone

Files

Patterson BHP HTH Senior Capstone.docx.pdf

Citation

Patterson, Faith, “A Review on the Etiology, Treatment, Administration, and Challenges of Neglected Tropical Diseases in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Onchocerciasis and Four Other NTDs treated by the United Front Against Riverblindness,” Rider Student Research, accessed March 28, 2024, https://riderstudents.omeka.net/items/show/50.

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