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Developing World's Parasites, Diseases Enter US

Posted by kdawson on from the different-kind-of-worm dept.

reporter alerts us to a story up at the Wall Street Journal on the increasing prevalance in the US of formerly rare, 3rd-world diseases such as toxocariasis, chagas, and cysticercosis. Health-care legislation pending in the House calls for a full report to Congress about the threat from this cluster of diseases, termed "neglected infections of poverty." "Parasitic infections and other diseases usually associated with the developing world are cropping up with alarming frequency among US poor, especially in states along the US-Mexico border, the rural South, and in Appalachia, according to researchers. Government and private researchers are just beginning to assess the toll of the infections, which are a significant cause of heart disease, seizures and congenital birth defects among black and Hispanic populations. ... 'These are diseases that we know are ten-fold more important than swine flu,' said [one] leading researcher in this field. 'They're on no one's radar.' ... These diseases share a common thread. 'People who live in the suburbs are at very low risk,' Dr. Hotez said. But for the 37 million people in the US who live below the poverty line, he said, 'There is real suffering.'" Update: 08/23 16:55 GMT by KD : The submitter pointed out that the usual "Related" link to the original submission was missing on this story. We are testing a new version of the story editor and this was probably caused by a bug; reported. Here's the original.

6 of 337 comments (clear)

  1. Evil Hollywood plot by oldhack · · Score: 3, Funny

    to jack up the rating for House MD. Pathetic, really.

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  2. If only Madagascar... by gardyloo · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...had shut off all seaports and airports sooner.

  3. It's the flu! by russlar · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's that new flu strain I keep hearing about, the H1B flu!

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    1. Re:It's the flu! by Tablizer · · Score: 2, Funny

      It's that new flu strain I keep hearing about, the H1B flu!

      It's real: I got hit so bad, I had to take a year off.
           

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  4. Talk like an infected pirate day by Tablizer · · Score: 3, Funny

    Aiy captain, I be gotten scurvy!

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    Table-ized A.I.
  5. Irony by Lord+Kano · · Score: 3, Funny

    500 Years ago, Europeans came to the western hemisphere and brought all kinds of diseases that the native population had no immunity against. Now, the descendants of those Europeans are getting diseases for which they have no immunity from the descendants of the natives from so long ago...

    LK

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