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Strongyloidiasis: A Disease of Socioeconomic Disadvantage

Strongyloidiasis is a disease caused by soil transmitted helminths of the Strongyloides genus. Currently, it is predominately described as a neglected tropical disease. However, this description is misleading as it focuses on the geographical location of the disease and not the primary consideration...

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Autores principales: Beknazarova, Meruyert, Whiley, Harriet, Ross, Kirstin
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2016
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4881142/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27213420
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13050517
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author Beknazarova, Meruyert
Whiley, Harriet
Ross, Kirstin
author_facet Beknazarova, Meruyert
Whiley, Harriet
Ross, Kirstin
author_sort Beknazarova, Meruyert
collection PubMed
description Strongyloidiasis is a disease caused by soil transmitted helminths of the Strongyloides genus. Currently, it is predominately described as a neglected tropical disease. However, this description is misleading as it focuses on the geographical location of the disease and not the primary consideration, which is the socioeconomic conditions and poor infrastructure found within endemic regions. This classification may result in misdiagnosis and mistreatment by physicians, but more importantly, it influences how the disease is fundamentally viewed. Strongyloidiasis must be first and foremost considered as a disease of disadvantage, to ensure the correct strategies and control measures are used to prevent infection. Changing how strongyloidiasis is perceived from a geographic and clinical issue to an environmental health issue represents the first step in identifying appropriate long term control measures. This includes emphasis on environmental health controls, such as better infrastructure, sanitation and living conditions. This review explores the global prevalence of strongyloidiasis in relation to its presence in subtropical, tropical and temperate climate zones with mild and cold winters, but also explores the corresponding socioeconomic conditions of these regions. The evidence shows that strongyloidiasis is primarily determined by the socioeconomic status of the communities rather than geographic or climatic conditions. It demonstrates that strongyloidiasis should no longer be referred to as a “tropical” disease but rather a disease of disadvantage. This philosophical shift will promote the development of correct control strategies for preventing this disease of disadvantage.
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spelling pubmed-48811422016-05-27 Strongyloidiasis: A Disease of Socioeconomic Disadvantage Beknazarova, Meruyert Whiley, Harriet Ross, Kirstin Int J Environ Res Public Health Review Strongyloidiasis is a disease caused by soil transmitted helminths of the Strongyloides genus. Currently, it is predominately described as a neglected tropical disease. However, this description is misleading as it focuses on the geographical location of the disease and not the primary consideration, which is the socioeconomic conditions and poor infrastructure found within endemic regions. This classification may result in misdiagnosis and mistreatment by physicians, but more importantly, it influences how the disease is fundamentally viewed. Strongyloidiasis must be first and foremost considered as a disease of disadvantage, to ensure the correct strategies and control measures are used to prevent infection. Changing how strongyloidiasis is perceived from a geographic and clinical issue to an environmental health issue represents the first step in identifying appropriate long term control measures. This includes emphasis on environmental health controls, such as better infrastructure, sanitation and living conditions. This review explores the global prevalence of strongyloidiasis in relation to its presence in subtropical, tropical and temperate climate zones with mild and cold winters, but also explores the corresponding socioeconomic conditions of these regions. The evidence shows that strongyloidiasis is primarily determined by the socioeconomic status of the communities rather than geographic or climatic conditions. It demonstrates that strongyloidiasis should no longer be referred to as a “tropical” disease but rather a disease of disadvantage. This philosophical shift will promote the development of correct control strategies for preventing this disease of disadvantage. MDPI 2016-05-20 2016-05 /pmc/articles/PMC4881142/ /pubmed/27213420 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13050517 Text en © 2016 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Review
Beknazarova, Meruyert
Whiley, Harriet
Ross, Kirstin
Strongyloidiasis: A Disease of Socioeconomic Disadvantage
title Strongyloidiasis: A Disease of Socioeconomic Disadvantage
title_full Strongyloidiasis: A Disease of Socioeconomic Disadvantage
title_fullStr Strongyloidiasis: A Disease of Socioeconomic Disadvantage
title_full_unstemmed Strongyloidiasis: A Disease of Socioeconomic Disadvantage
title_short Strongyloidiasis: A Disease of Socioeconomic Disadvantage
title_sort strongyloidiasis: a disease of socioeconomic disadvantage
topic Review
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4881142/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27213420
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13050517
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