In a paper in the Aug. 14 edition of The Lancet, authors representing The George Washington University, The Sabin Vaccine Institute, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Imperial College of London call for increased supplies of praziquantel for the African continent. Praziquantel is the only commercially available treatment for human schistosomiasis, a devastating neglected tropical disease that affects an estimated 200-600 million people worldwide, with the vast majority of cases occurring in Africa, producing a disease burden that could exceed that of malaria.
The authors of the article – Dr. Peter Hotez of the Sabin Vaccine Institute and The George Washington University, Dr. Alan Fenwick of the Imperial College of London, and Drs. Dirk Engels and Lorenzo Savioli of the WHO are available for comment and additional feedback on the critical need for enhanced praziquantel supplies in Africa.
The article can be previewed at http://www.thelancet.com/.
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