Undiagnosed Diseases Among U.S. Poor
Parasites Go Undetected By Doctors and are Passed On To Children
An analysis released on June 23, 2008 by the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases states that common diseases found in Africa, Asia and Latin America are also in the USA. Peter Hotez of the Sabin Vaccine Institute states that hundreds of thousands of women and children go undiagnosed annually.
Where Are Undiagnosed Diseases Common?
Hotez states that the report pinpoints three areas of the country most likely to have undiagnosed tropical diseases.
- Mexican borderlands
- Mississippi Delta
- Appalachia
Hotez states that these diseases cause disabilities and trap individuals into lifelong poverty. Common disabilities are
- Epilepsy
- Mental retardation
- Heart disease
Hotez says, "It is a disgrace that these diseases are going unnoticed among the poor. If this were occurring among white mothers in the suburbs, you’d hear a tremendous outcry." [Steve Sternberg, USA Today, June 28, 2008] In addition to editing the journal, PloS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Hotez is also a microbiologist at George Washington University.
Emory University Rollins School of Public Health
Carlos Franco-Paredes of Rollins School of Public Health states that the tropical disease problem could be easily resolved by screening minorities, immigrants and refugees. More needs to be done to raise doctors’ awareness of these diseases.
Undiagnosed Tropical Diseases
Congenital cytomegalovirus infection or CMV, is the most common virus transmitted to a pregnant woman’s unborn child. Once it is in a body, it remains there for life. 33% of women who become infected with CMV for the first time during pregnancy pass the virus on to their babies. 1 in 150 babies born have CMV and 1 in 750 will suffer permanent disabilities. Most CMV infections are silent and carry no symptoms. Some of the disabilities are
- Hearing loss
- Vision loss
- Mental retardation
- Growth problems
- Lung problems
- Bleeding problems
- Liver problems
- Spleen problems
CMV can be easily prevented.
Toxoplasmosis. This parasite may have infected 22.5% of the U.S. population. Some countries have up to 95% of the population infected with toxoplasmosis. Like other tropical diseases, this parasite may have no symptoms. There are three main transmissions of this disease.
- Foodborne by eating undercooked and contaminated meat or poorly washed vegetables.
- Animal-to-human contact. Kittens and cats shed millions of oocysts. The litterbox is a common transmission site.
- Mother-to-Child. A pregnant woman can pass the infection to her unborn child. The mother may have no symptoms but the child may have diseases of the nervous system and eyes.
Trichomoniasis. Over 880,000 African-American women are infected with this sexually transmitted parasite. This parasite causes small ulcers that increase the chance of contacting the HIV virus.
Toxocariasis. This parasite causes asthma and has infected 2.8 million African-American children.
Chagas disease. This parasite is found predominantly in Hispanics and severely damages the heart.
Cysticercosis. This parasite is found predominantly in Hispanics and has caused up to 169,000 epilepsy cases.
The health impact of these diseases is not only tragic for children but also has a negative effect on our economy and health care costs. More emphasis on screening of minorities, immigrants and refugees can help to reduce the spread of these parasitic diseases.
Source: Steve Sternberg, USA Today, June 28, 2008
