U.S. poor are vulnerable to 'neglected' diseases

[flashl]

Analysis: U.S. poor are vulnerable to 'neglected' diseases

Tropical diseases that ravage Africa, Asia and Latin America commonly occur among the poor in the USA, leaving thousands of people shattered by debilitating complications including mental retardation, heart disease and epilepsy, an analysis showed Monday.

The diseases, caused by chronic viral, bacterial and parasitic infections, disproportionately strike women and children and are largely overlooked by doctors, says author Peter Hotez of the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases, part of Sabin Vaccine Institute.

Hotez says the diseases go untreated in hundreds of thousands of poor people who live mainly in inner cities, the Mississippi Delta, Appalachia and the Mexican borderlands.

In many cases, he says, the infections cause disabilities that trap sufferers in lasting poverty. His analysis, called "Neglected Infections of Poverty in the United States," appears in the journal he edits, PloS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

As widespread as the diseases are, few people in middle America have heard of them, and many doctors never think to check for them, says Carlos Franco-Paredes of Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, who was not involved in the analysis.

USA Today

But, we have the best medicine and medical system, just ask the ones who have access.

[Celebration]

1. not surprising

Wouldn't be surprised that if they make it to the doctor, they end up taking SSRIs. When doctors can't find out or "never think to check" for what's wrong, that is often what they prescribe.

[TZ]

2. Ummm look

It is HARD to diagnose malaria, dengue fever and yellow fever in a country where it isn't expected. I HIGHLY doubt most doctors are patting them on their head and sending them on their way with SSRI's -which are not the root of all evil despite your OBVIOUS bigotry
I fear most of these people do not get to the doctor. I am familiar with these tropical type diseases (having done malaria research), and even for an experienced doctor the diagnostics are difficult..Most of these people probably can't get to a specialist either, which is what it would take to diagnose difficult ailments.
Just stop with teh doctors are teh evul meme. Nothing is ever as black and white as you make it out to be.
PS--I never met a doctor who gives out an SSRI for someone running a fever, sweating, vomiting, barfing, extreme headaches..which are all symptoms associated with these tropical diseases.
Access is the problem.

[Celebration]

3. chronic vs. acute

The symptoms you describe are for the acute stage of the disease. Surely doctors would know enough to check for things like this in the acute stage!! With the chronic stage, the symptoms are not nearly so violent as you describe--more like fatigue and digestion problems.