Neglected Tropical Diseases
A section of Infectious Disease Reports (ISSN 2036-7449).
Section Information
According to the WHO definition, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a heterogeneous group of 20 diseases, most of which are infectious and are caused by viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi. They affect over 1.7 billion people worldwide, mainly including the most vulnerable people in the planet, i.e., those often living in remote rural communities where access to healthcare services is limited. NTDs usually have a chronic and disabling clinical course, burdened by social stigma and exclusion, with devastating social and economic consequences. In fact, the affected population are trapped in a cycle of poverty and disease. In 2021, WHO launched its roadmap for NTDs for the period 2021–2030, aimed at increasing prevention and control of these too-long neglected diseases.
Although NTDs are highly prevalent in tropical and sub-tropical areas, human migration and travel makes it possible to observe NTDs in non-endemic regions. In such regions, the burden of NTDs is probably underestimated, and raising the awareness of clinicians may be of paramount importance to avoid underdiagnosis, diagnostic delays, or improper therapies.
Moreover, some NTDs, such as leishmaniasis, cystic echinococcosis, and alveolar echinococcosis, are historically endemic in Europe. Finally, since the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically disrupted the health systems worldwide, negatively affecting the ongoing public health initiatives to combat NTDs. However, the magnitude of the direct and indirect impacts of COVID-19 on the epidemiology and clinical features of NTDs is still largely unknown.
The section on neglected tropical diseases aims to collect high-quality original articles, updated review articles, and scientifically sound perspective articles.
The submissions should mainly be addressed on the following topics:
- NTDs: prevention, diagnosis, and treatment;
- NTDs in non-endemic areas;
- NTDs as imported disease;
- NTDs in migrant population;
- NTDs in special populations such as pregnant women, children, and immunocompromised subjects;
- NTDs and climate change;
- NTDs and COVID-19.
