Browsing by Author "Herricks, Jennifer R."
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Item A review of visceral leishmaniasis during the conflict in South Sudan and the consequences for East African countries(2016) Al-Salem, Waleed; Herricks, Jennifer R.; Hotez, Peter J.; James A. Baker III Institute for Public PolicyBackground: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), caused predominantly by Leishmania donovani and transmitted by both Phlebotomus orientalis and Phlebotomus martini, is highly endemic in East Africa where approximately 30 thousands VL cases are reported annually. The largest numbers of cases are found in Sudan - where Phlebotomus orientalis proliferate in Acacia forests especially on Sudan’s eastern border with Ethiopia, followed by South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Uganda. Long-standing civil war and unrest is a dominant determinant of VL in East African countries. Here we attempt to identify the correlation between VL epidemics and civil unrest. Objective and methodology: In this review, literature published between 1955 and 2016 have been gathered from MSF, UNICEF, OCHA, UNHCR, PubMed and Google Scholar to analyse the correlation between conflict and human suffering from VL, which is especially apparent in South Sudan. Findings: Waves of forced migration as a consequence of civil wars between 1983 and 2005 have resulted in massive and lethal epidemics in southern Sudan. Following a comprehensive peace agreement, but especially with increased allocation of resources for disease treatment and prevention in 2011, cases of VL declined reaching the lowest levels after South Sudan declared independence. However, in the latest epidemic that began in 2014 after the onset of a civil war in South Sudan, more than 1.5 million displaced refugees have migrated internally to states highly endemic for VL, while 800,000 have fled to neighboring countries. Conclusion: We find a strong relationship between civil unrest and VL epidemics which tend to occur among immunologically naïve migrants entering VL-endemic areas and when Leishmania-infected individuals migrate to new areas and establish additional foci of disease. Further complicating factors in East Africa’s VL epidemics include severe lack of access to diagnosis and treatment, HIV/AIDS co-infection, food insecurity and malnutrition. Moreover, cases of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) can serve as important reservoirs of anthroponotic Leishmania parasites.Item A review of visceral leishmaniasis during the conflict in South Sudan and the consequences for East African countries(BioMed Central Ltd, 2016) Al-Salem, Waleed; Herricks, Jennifer R.; Hotez, Peter J.; James A. Baker III Institute for Public PolicyAbstract Background Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), caused predominantly by Leishmania donovani and transmitted by both Phlebotomus orientalis and Phlebotomus martini, is highly endemic in East Africa where approximately 30 thousands VL cases are reported annually. The largest numbers of cases are found in Sudan - where Phlebotomus orientalis proliferate in Acacia forests especially on Sudan’s eastern border with Ethiopia, followed by South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Uganda. Long-standing civil war and unrest is a dominant determinant of VL in East African countries. Here we attempt to identify the correlation between VL epidemics and civil unrest. Objective and methodology In this review, literature published between 1955 and 2016 have been gathered from MSF, UNICEF, OCHA, UNHCR, PubMed and Google Scholar to analyse the correlation between conflict and human suffering from VL, which is especially apparent in South Sudan. Findings Waves of forced migration as a consequence of civil wars between 1983 and 2005 have resulted in massive and lethal epidemics in southern Sudan. Following a comprehensive peace agreement, but especially with increased allocation of resources for disease treatment and prevention in 2011, cases of VL declined reaching the lowest levels after South Sudan declared independence. However, in the latest epidemic that began in 2014 after the onset of a civil war in South Sudan, more than 1.5 million displaced refugees have migrated internally to states highly endemic for VL, while 800,000 have fled to neighboring countries. Conclusion We find a strong relationship between civil unrest and VL epidemics which tend to occur among immunologically naïve migrants entering VL-endemic areas and when Leishmania-infected individuals migrate to new areas and establish additional foci of disease. Further complicating factors in East Africa’s VL epidemics include severe lack of access to diagnosis and treatment, HIV/AIDS co-infection, food insecurity and malnutrition. Moreover, cases of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) can serve as important reservoirs of anthroponotic Leishmania parasites.Item Chagas Disease: Sharing the Burden and the Solutions in the United States and Mexico(2015) Matthews, Kirstin R.W.; Herricks, Jennifer R.; James A. Baker III Institute for Public PolicyChagas disease—the third most common parasitic infection in the world—affects approximately 7.5 million people, mostly in Latin America. Population mobility between Latin America and the rest of the world has led to increasing detection of Chagas disease in the United States, Europe, Japan, and other parts of the world in the last decade. Those living in poverty, including in the United States and Mexico, are at risk of Chagas disease infection due to poor quality housing that leads to infestation by the disease-carrying insect, the kissing bug. The actual extent of the disease burden in Mexico, where the disease is endemic, and the United States is unclear due to limited diagnosis and surveillance. To help reduce outbreaks, the US and Mexican governments should implement surveillance programs, initiate vector1 control programs (as needed), increase awareness among health care providers, and fund research for the development of Chagas vaccines and treatments.Item Helminth Elimination in the Pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals: A "Worm Index" for Human Development(2015) Hotez, Peter J.; Herricks, Jennifer R.; James A. Baker III Institute for Public PolicyItem How Would You Raise Awareness of Neglected Tropical Diseases? A Compilation of Winning Student Entries(James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, 2015) Matthews, Kirstin R.W.; Herricks, Jennifer R.; James A. Baker III Institute for Public PolicyItem Impact of the Neglected Tropical Diseases on Human Development in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Nations(Public Library of Science, 2015) Hotez, Peter J.; Herricks, Jennifer R.; James A. Baker III Institute for Public PolicyItem Mosquito-Transmitted Epidemics: Dengue, Chikungunya and West Nile in the United States and Mexico(James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, 2015) Matthews, Kirstin R.W.; Herricks, Jennifer R.; James A. Baker III Institute for Public PolicyWest Nile, dengue, and chikungunya are all caused by arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses), which are transmitted primarily via mosquitos. In total, they result in more than 100,000 annual infections in the United States and Mexico. This number is predicted to increase as the mosquito populations carrying arboviruses move northward due to climate change and general migration of the mosquitos and infected individuals. Unlike other neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that are more common in rural areas, these arboviruses are often found in poor urban areas as well as suburbs and more affluent neighborhoods. Despite the increasing risks in the United States and Mexico, policymakers have made little effort to prevent future outbreaks. The US and Mexican governments should collaborate towards comprehensive vector control programs and awareness campaigns for these mosquito-transmitted diseases. Furthermore, additional research on preventative measures, including the development of vaccines, would dramatically limit the spread of these debilitating diseases.Item Mosquito-Transmitted Epidemics: Zika Virus in the United States and Mexico(2016) Matthews, Kirstin R.W.; Herricks, Jennifer R.; James A. Baker III Institute for Public PolicyThe Zika outbreak serves as a reminder that global health and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) can affect local health. This issue brief argues that continued investments in global health and the study of emerging pathogens could yield better tools to fight infectious diseases long before they become a problem in the developed world.Item Testimony on Interim Charge concerning Infectious Disease Public Health Committee of the Texas House of Representatives(2016) Herricks, Jennifer R.; James A. Baker III Institute for Public PolicyItem The global burden of disease study 2013: What does it mean for the NTDs?(Public Library of Science, 2017) Herricks, Jennifer R.; Hotez, Peter J.; Wanga, Valentine; Coffeng, Luc E.; Haagsma, Juanita A.; Basáñez, María-Gloria; Buckle, Geoffrey; Budke, Christine M.; Carabin, Hélène; Fèvre, Eric M.; Fürst, Thomas; Halasa, Yara A.; King, Charles H.; Murdoch, Michele E.; Ramaiah, Kapa D.; Shepard, Donald S.; Stolk, Wilma A.; Undurraga, Eduardo A.; Stanaway, Jeffrey D.; Naghavi, Mohsen; Murray, Christopher J.L.; James A. Baker III Institute for Public PolicyItem The United States and Mexico: Addressing a Shared Legacy of Neglected Tropical Diseases and Poverty(James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, 2016) Herricks, Jennifer R.; Matthews, Kirstin R.W.; Hotez, Peter J.; James A. Baker III Institute for Public PolicyOn September 29–30, 2015, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, and the END Fund collaborated on a high-level summit to address the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and related diseases of poverty shared between the United States and Mexico. More than 150 local doctors, scientists, students, and community leaders attended the event, which examined the causes and implications of NTDs in the United States and Mexico, advances in research and development to fight NTDs, and effective public policy efforts for NTD elimination. Presenters included Mitchell Wolfe, deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Global Health, Mercedes Juan Lopez, Mexico’s secretary of health, and Roberto Tapia-Conyer, director general of the Carlos Slim Foundation. This report reviews the impact and prevalence of NTDs in the United States and Mexico. This report also will address key policy challenges and make recommendations for reducing NTDs in these two countries. Reducing the multifaceted impact of NTDS will require coordinated policies between these two countries that focus on preventive measures and access to therapies as well as the development of new treatments and vaccines.