Every year on January 30th, the global community observes World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day, a moment to unite and take decisive action against some of the most devastating diseases affecting vulnerable populations worldwide. The WHO calls on everyone to join forces in addressing the disparities that fuel neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) encompass a diverse range of conditions caused by pathogens including viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungi, and toxins. These diseases have profound health, social, and economic implications.
Although predominantly affecting impoverished communities in tropical regions, some NTDs have a much broader geographical distribution. Currently, over 1 billion people are affected by NTDs, with approximately 1.5 billion individuals requiring both preventive and curative interventions. The epidemiology of NTDs is deeply intertwined with environmental factors, often linked to vector-borne transmission, animal reservoirs, and complex life cycles, which present significant challenges for public health control.
The list of NTDs includes Buruli ulcer, Chagas disease, dengue, chikungunya, dracunculiasis, echinococcosis, foodborne trematodiases, human African trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, mycetoma, chromoblastomycosis, noma, onchocerciasis, rabies, scabies, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiases, snakebite envenoming, taeniasis/cysticercosis, trachoma, and yaws.
According to the A Roadmap for Neglected Tropical Diseases 2021–2030, the goal for controlling Dengue is to reduce fatality rates to 0.5% by 2023, and ultimately to 0% by 2030. Achieving this target requires timely, appropriate clinical management that emphasizes early clinical and laboratory diagnosis, oral and intravenous rehydration, and comprehensive staff training.
Early recognition, prompt diagnosis, and effective case management are key to reducing dengue-related mortality.
In the battle against NTDs, Daan Gene provides cutting-edge diagnostic reagents to support early detection and effective disease management. Our product, DA031X, is a highly accurate diagnostic kit designed for the qualitative detection of Dengue virus (DV) RNA in human serum specimen. Utilizing real-time fluorescent PCR technology, this kit targets the highly conserved regions of the DV gene with specific primers and probes for precise detection.
When used with Daan Gene's nucleic acid extraction reagent, DA031X can detect the target gene with LoD of 1.5×10 TCID50/mL. Additionally, the kit includes an internal standard to monitor the nucleic acid extraction and PCR amplification processes, reducing the occurrence of false-negative results.
Learn more about how Daan Gene’s advanced diagnostic solutions are playing a vital role in controlling NTDs and supporting global public health efforts. Read more and discover how we are improving dengue diagnosis.
Reference
1. https://www.who.int/health-topics/neglected-tropical-diseases#tab=tab_1
2. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240010352
