Infectious Diseases Stalk Poor In America

The poor in America continue to be vulnerable to a number of infectious diseases caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites even today, according to a new study. What makes this finding even more significant is that it comes in the backdrop of a decreasing mortality rate for infectious diseases in the country over the last 100 years.

The report says the diseases have different sources of origin in the United States. Some have come from overseas, while many of them have been in the country for a long time now. Most of these diseases can be found largely in areas of maximum poverty – the inner cities of the country, the Mississippi Delta, the Mexico border and also Appalachia.

The study, which contains an analysis of diseases afflicting the poor in America, has come up with a list of 24 such diseases. It was conducted by a team led by Dr. Peter Hotez, who is the chairman of the department of microbiology, immunologydefine and tropical health at the George Washington University.

According to Dr. Hotez, “These are right now below everybody’s radar.” The study indicates that at least 300,000 Americans are afflicted by the diseases on the list. That is the figure known so far; there is every chance of the actual figure running into millions.

The list of diseases include schistosomiasis, an infection seen usually in Africa; brucellosis, which occurs as a result of using unsanitary dairy products and dengue fever, a viral infection. While schistosomiasis is commonly seen in Africa, dengue fever is common to the tropical parts of Asia and Latin America.

Most of the diseases on the list occur usually in developing countries around the world. They also pose a major problem to public health in America. The main causes for the presence of these diseases in the country are, poor living conditions and also a distinct lack of healthcare. The impact they have on the population is huge.

The unfortunate part of the story is that given proper medical attention and enhanced hygienic conditions, most of these diseases can be prevented and also cured. However, they persist because of lack of proper medical care.

One instance is the disease called cysticerosis, usually found in the Los Angeles area. Cysticerosis accounts for 10% of all emergency room visits as a result of seizures and is caused as a result of infection from tapeworms in pork. The disease causes cysts in the brain, something that can result in seizures and also have long-term damage in the form of permanent epilepsy.

Speaking about the situation, the public health director for Los Angeles County, Dr. Jonathan Fielding, said, “We do monitoring for all those diseases. Whether there's 100% reporting is another issue.”

A number of the diseases do not get the attention required, according to Dr. Hotez. For instance, there is regular screening of infants for phenylketonuria, but very minimal screening for another more deadly disease called toxoplasmosis, with only two states having mandatory screening requirements for the latter.

Phenylketonuria is a genetic disease while toxoplasmosis is caused by a parasite and goes from mother to child during birth. While both have the same effect of stunting mental growth, toxoplasmosis is seldom reported because it occurs mainly in the inner cities and the poorer areas in the South.