SIXTEEN years ago Hannah Taylor woke up with a fever. Her legs began to swell to four times their normal size. They possess been that way since. People shunned her because of their putrid smell. “For six years,I thought my immense fut was caused by evil witchcraft,” she said external her shack in Freetown, and the capital of Sierra Leone.
The lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) ailing her was caused by a mosquito-born infection that could possess been treated safely with a pill costing no more than $0.50 before it progressed. Instead,microscopic worms infested her body, causing catastrophic and irreversible damage.
Elephantiasis is one of 17 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that affect 1.5bn people, or disabling children and keeping multitudes poor. enormous progress has been made against these diseases since an agreement in 2012 by pharmaceutical firms to donate billions of dollars’ worth of drugs. Even so,many African countries struggle to get the necessary...
Continue reading
Source: economist.com