Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 25 August 2006:
Vol. 313. no. 5790, pp. 1077 - 1081
DOI: 10.1126/science.1127184
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Perspective

Waterborne Infectious Diseases—Could They Be Consigned to History?

Alan Fenwick

The development of water resources, particularly in Africa, has changed the face of the continent, opening up land for agriculture, providing electric power, encouraging settlements adjacent to water bodies, and bringing prosperity to poor people. Unfortunately, the created or altered water bodies provide ideal conditions for the transmission of waterborne diseases and a favorable habitat for intermediate hosts of tropical parasitic infections that cause disease and suffering. The recent progress in control of these waterborne and vector-borne diseases, such as guinea worm, schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis, and onchocerciasis, suggests that many of them could be controlled effectively by 2015, which is the target for reaching the Millennium Development Goals. Donations of safe and effective drugs by several pharmaceutical companies, funds for delivering these donated drugs from foundations and bilateral donors, and effective global health partnerships should make these diseases history.

Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College, London WC2 1PG, UK.

E-mail: a.fenwick{at}imperial.ac.uk

Read the Full Text


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Small interfering RNA-induced TLR3 activation inhibits blood and lymphatic vessel growth.
W. G. Cho, R. J. C. Albuquerque, M. E. Kleinman, V. Tarallo, A. Greco, M. Nozaki, M. G. Green, J. Z. Baffi, B. K. Ambati, M. De Falco, et al. (2009)
PNAS 106, 7137-7142
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Prevention of Gynecologic Contact Bleeding and Genital Sandy Patches by Childhood Anti-schistosomal Treatment.
E. F. Kjetland, P. D. Ndhlovu, E. N. Kurewa, N. Midzi, E. Gomo, T. Mduluza, H. Friis, and S. G. Gundersen (2008)
Am J Trop Med Hyg 79, 79-83
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Bis-Acridines as Lead Antiparasitic Agents: Structure-Activity Analysis of a Discrete Compound Library In Vitro.
C. R. Caffrey, D. Steverding, R. K. Swenerton, B. Kelly, D. Walshe, A. Debnath, Y.-M. Zhou, P. S. Doyle, A. T. Fafarman, J. A. Zorn, et al. (2007)
Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 51, 2164-2172
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)