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| Disease | Causative agent | Transmission | Pathogenesis | Affected populations | Treatment and management | Prevention/public health response |
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| Buruli ulcer | Mycobacterium ulcerans (Bacterium) | Mode unknown | Destruction of skin & soft tissues, leading to ulcer | Poor rural communities; more in Africa, 33 countries | Rifampicin, streptomycin/amikacin, or surgery | Early detection and antibiotic treatment |
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| Chagas disease | Trypanosoma cruzi (protozoan parasite) | Vector-borne | Cardiac or mixed alterations in chronic infection | ~8 M people infected worldwide, mostly Latin America | Curable with benznidazole and nifurtimox | Vector (triatomine bug) control |
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| Dengue and chikungunya | Dengue virus sp.: DENV 1, DENV 2, DENV 3 & DENV 4 (Flaviviruses) | Dengue & chikungunya: mosquito sp. (Aedes aegypti & Ae. albopictus) | Fatal: plasma leaking, bleeding, and organ impairment | Worldwide, ~100 countries; 50–100 mil infections/year. Esp. Asia & Latin America | Dengue: vaccine available; chikungunya: no vaccine | Control of mosquito vectors |
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| Dracunculiasis (Guinea worm disease) | Dracunculus medinensis (Nematode parasite) | Drinking water containing parasite-infected water-fleas (Cyclops) | Rarely fatal
Leads to oedema and ulcer, usually of the feet | 22 cases in 4 African countries in 2015 | No vaccine available yet | Improved drinking water sources. Near eradication |
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| Echinococcosis | E. granulosus and
E. multilocularis (Echinococcus parasites) | Through faeces of dogs, foxes & other carnivores | Involves liver and other organs. Progressive and fatal if untreated | >I M people worldwide affected at any one time | Expensive and complicated to treat | Complex
Regular deworming of domestic carnivores helps |
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| Endemic treponematoses (Yaws) | T. Pallidum subspecies pertenue (bacterium) | Person-to-person (nonsexual) with infected fluid | Disfigurement of the nose and bones; hyperkeratosis | Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific | Azithromycin
Benzathine penicillin | No vaccine: early diagnosis and targeted treatment |
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| Foodborne trematodiases | Trematode parasite sp. Clonorchis, Opisthorchis, Fasciola, and Paragonimus | Zoonotic: consumption of raw/poorly cooked food | Organ-specific, reflects adult worm final location | >70 countries worldwide, mainly East Asia and South America | Use of anthelminthic medicines | Reduce infection risk; control associated morbidity |
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| Human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) | Trypanosoma parasite sp.
T. brucei gambiense (98%)
T. brucei rhodesiense (2%) | By bites of infected tsetse fly (of Glossina genus) | Affects central nervous system, causing neurological (and sleep) disorders | Occurs in 36 sub-Saharan Africa countries (>70% of cases occur in DR Congo) | Drugs available. Depends on disease stage and parasite species | Free antitrypanosome medicines provided by WHO; efforts at elimination |
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| Leishmaniasis | Protozoan Leishmania parasites (over 20 species) | Bite of infected female phlebotomine sandflies | Infection rarely leads to disease development | Worldwide. Risk increased by poverty | Complex; depends on several factors | Complex; combination of intervention strategies |
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| Leprosy (Hansen disease) | Mycobacterium leprae (bacterium) | By air (from nose & mouth) through close contact | Damage of peripheral nerves leading to paralysis | Southeast Asia Region | Multidrug (Dapsone, rifampicin & clofazimine) | Early diagnosis and treatment to avert disability |
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| Lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) | Filarioidea nematodes: Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and B. timori | By mosquito sp. (Culex, Anopheles, and Aedes) | Invade lymphatic system; disrupt immune system | WHO Southeast Asia & Africa; >120 M people | Albendazole + ivermectin/diethylcarbamazine citrate | Morbidity management; mass drug administration |
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| Onchocerciasis (river blindness) | Onchocerca volvulus (parasite) | Bite of blackfly (Simulium damnosum sp. mainly) | Parasites migrate throughout the body, casing a variety of symptoms | 36 countries: Africa, Arabian peninsula & Americas | Ivermectin (manufactured Merck & Co, free) | Yearly ivermectin administration to affected populations |
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| Rabies | Rabies virus | Bites/scratches of affected domestic/wild animals | Affects central nervous system, leads to death | All continents but Antarctica. Mostly in Asia & Africa | Postexposure prophylaxis (with vaccine course) | Preventive immunization of people; vaccinating dogs |
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| Schistosomiasis (Bilharzia) | Schistosoma parasite sp.: S. haematobium, S. mansoni, and S. japonicum | Contact with infested fresh water bodies | Live in blood vessels, body tissues & damage organs | At least 90% of estimated cases are in Africa | Drug available: Praziquantel therapy | Good water/sanitation, snail control; preventive therapy |
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| Soil-transmitted helminthiases | Helminth parasite species Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, Necator americanus & A. duodenale | Parasite eggs in human faeces-contaminated soil | Intestinal damage and blood loss. Rarely fatal | Worldwide: esp. sub-Saharan Africa, the Americas, China, and East Asia. ~2 billion people | Medicines available: Albendazole and Mebendazole | Deworming people at risk, improved sanitation, education |
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| Taeniasis/ cysticercosis | Taenia (tapeworm) parasites
T. solium (pork tapeworm)T. saginata (beef tapeworm) | Ingestion of larval cysts through contaminated food (pork or beef) or water | Intestinal; central nervous system attack. Can be fatal | Africa, Asia, and Latin America | Drug available: Praziquantel and niclosamide | Veterinary, human health, and environmental approach |
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| Trachoma | Chlamydia trachomatis (bacterium) | Eye-seeking flies, poor water and sanitation | Leading infectious cause of blindness globally | 51 countries, 1.2 M people blind, 232 M at risk | Surgery, antibiotics, and facial cleanliness | Environmental improvement; target: elimination by 2020 |
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