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neglected tropical diseases

They're trying to cure nodding syndrome. First they need to zero in on the cause

Ventorina Aculu of northern Uganda sits next to her adult son, Omac Alfred, who has a rare neurological disease known as nodding syndrome. Pat Robert Larubi/Undark hide caption

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Pat Robert Larubi/Undark

Goats and Soda

They're trying to cure nodding syndrome. First they need to zero in on the cause

Undark Magazine

Nodding syndrome is a rare neurological condition that can result in head nodding and violent seizures. Some researchers think they know the cause, but questions remain.

A deadly disease so neglected it's not even on the list of neglected tropical diseases

Mulikat Okanlawon of Nigeria contracted noma when she was a child. The gangrenous infection ate away at the flesh and bone in her face. She survived and has had surgery to repair scars left by the disease. Today she works at the Sokoto Noma Hospital, guiding noma patients on the road to recovery. Claire Jeantet and Fabrice Caterini / Inediz hide caption

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Claire Jeantet and Fabrice Caterini / Inediz

Goats and Soda

A deadly disease so neglected it's not even on the list of neglected tropical diseases

It's called noma and is a disease of poverty, striking mainly children. Most patients die. Survivors are badly disfigured. Now there's a campaign to add it to the list of neglected tropical diseases

Why A Pill That's 4 Cents In Tanzania Costs Up To $400 In The U.S.

An employee of GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals holds bottles of albendazole, an anti-hookworm medication. Kuni Takahashi/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Kuni Takahashi/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Goats and Soda

Why A Pill That's 4 Cents In Tanzania Costs Up To $400 In The U.S.

The medication fights hookworm. It's one of several drugs for "neglected tropical diseases" that are priced differently in the United States than they are in the developing world.

Drug For 'Neglected' Chagas Disease Gains FDA Approval Amid Price Worries

The blood-sucking conenose assassin bug (Triatoma sanguisuga) is also called a "kissing bug" because of its tendency to bite human faces. It feeds on human blood and is the vector of the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes Chagas disease. Ray Coleman/Science Source hide caption

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Ray Coleman/Science Source

Shots - Health News

Drug For 'Neglected' Chagas Disease Gains FDA Approval Amid Price Worries

U.S. doctors treating Chagas disease have long wanted FDA approval for a treatment that's widely used in Latin America. But when Martin Shkreli took interest, those doctors panicked — then mobilized.

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