The Giant Anteater in the Room: Brazil's Neglected Tropical Diseases Problem

Peter J Hotez

doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0000177

Abstract

The Giant Anteater in the Room: Brazil's Neglected Tropical Diseases Problem

Highlights

The phrase ‘‘the 800-pound gorilla in the room’’ refers to an obvious problem that everyone knows exists but pretends or chooses to ignore
WHO [6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13], most of the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) disease burden in Latin America and the Caribbean occurs in Brazil, including virtually all of the cases of blinding trachoma and leprosy, and the majority of ascariasis, dengue, hookworm infection, schistosomiasis, and visceral leishmaniasis
In collaboration with the Centro des Pesquisas Rene Rachou of FIOCRUZ (Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz) we recently showed that 68% of some rural communities in Minas Gerais State are infected with hookworms [14], which cause anemia and malnutrition [15]

Summary

Introduction

The phrase ‘‘the 800-pound gorilla in the room’’ refers to an obvious problem that everyone knows exists but pretends or chooses to ignore. Based on the Gini coefficient index, a metric that measures inequality of income or wealth distribution, Brazil at 0.59 has one of the greatest disparities between wealthy and poor people anywhere in the world [5].

Results

Conclusion