NTD Advocate - October 2008 eNewsletter

The Global Network had the opportunity to attend the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI)’s 2008 Annual Meeting in New York City from September 23-26, 2008. CGI is always an exciting event, attended by so many people who are committed to innovative solutions for some of the world’s greatest challenges, and we were thrilled to participate. Read More >

In August, Gov. Tommy Thompson had the opportunity to travel to Rwanda to see firsthand the devastation caused by neglected tropical diseases, as well as control efforts underway. While there, he was able to participate in Mother-Child Health Week, an initiative run by the Rwandan Government in collaboration with the Earth Institute at Columbia University’s NTD/Access Project, the Global Network, UNICEF, PAM, the World Health Organization, and the Red Cross. Read More >

Dr. Glenn W. Geelhoed joined the full-time faculty at George Washington University as an Associate Professor of Surgery in Washington, DC in 1975. His major clinical interests are in endocrine surgery, surgical physiology, oncology and transplantation. He has been a frequent Visiting Professor in most of the United States and on all continents, traveling with a strong interest in global health that includes the third world. Read More >

The Global Network recently launched a new and improved website. Our new site features several exciting elements:

• Interactive Map-- highlights the locations of members’ efforts in the field, and the geographic distribution of the seven most common NTDs
• Reports from the Field-- details on-the-ground programs underway to control and eliminate NTDs in endemic countries
• Stop NTDs! Petition-- allows viewers to sign a letter urging Congress to support NTD control efforts

Visit our new site and get involved today!
UK Government Commits 50 Million Pounds for NTD Control

UK Government officials announced today that they will be contributing £50 million over the next five years toward the control and elimination of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), including Guinea worm. [Read more]
Dramatic Progress Made by GPELF in Efforts to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis
The remarkable progress achieved by the WHO’s Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) in fighting lymphatic filariasis (LF) is testament to the fact that low-cost treatments to eliminate neglected tropical diseases are highly effective. According to a new analysis published in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, treatment was provided via mass drug administration to at least 546 million individuals in 2007 alone. [Read more]
New Study Sheds Light on Hookworm-Related Anemia Among Pregnant Women
A recent study published in Public Library of Science Neglected Tropical Diseases, authored by Dr. Peter Hotez, Simon Brooker, and Donald Bundy, found that nearly seven million sub-Saharan African women are infected with hookworm. [Read more]