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Experts are raising the alarm to the public that there is a parasite which billions of people are exposed to.
The scientists have also warned that this is a parasite which has ‘no drug that cures it’.
Toxoplasma gondii, which is also known as toxo, is transmitted to humans from cat feces and comes with some nasty side effects.
Symptoms include anything from aches and pains to serious organ damage, as well as eye and brain damage.
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As reported by Gizmodo, a new paper has been published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases which details how this parasite disproportionately impacts people living in poverty.
In the study, it stated: “A core criterion for NTD (Neglected Tropical Diseases) designation by the WHO is a disproportionate burden among populations living in poverty. Toxoplasmosis clearly meets this marker. Studies from Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa consistently report higher infection risks in households with limited access to safe water, inadequate sanitation, variable food safety conditions, and substandard health care.
“Congenital toxoplasmosis shows particularly stark social gradients. In low-resource settings, restricted access to antenatal care equates with missed opportunities for early diagnosis, counseling, and treatment. Infants who survive congenital infection face lifelong health consequences, such as visual and neurologic impairments, which undermine school performance, employment opportunities, and economic participation.
“These negative outcomes contribute to the poverty trap that exists for other NTDs: families already facing socioeconomic vulnerability absorb the long-term costs of disability, repeated medical visits, and lost income.”
Speaking about the parasite to Gizmodo, the lead author of the study, João Furtado, who is a fellow ophthalmologist and researcher at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, said: “It disproportionately affects people living in poverty; it carries a substantial burden in tropical and subtropical regions; it is preventable and treatable through public health action; and it receives too little research and policy attention relative to its burden.”
Furtado continued: “Most infections are mild or even unnoticed. However, infection during pregnancy can have severe consequences because the parasite can be transmitted to the fetus.
“Congenital toxoplasmosis can lead to miscarriage, neurological damage, and lifelong visual impairment.”
Justine Smith, who is an ophthalmologist at Flinders University and a co-author of the study, also spoke to Gizmodo, saying: “There is no commercially available vaccine against toxoplasmosis. And the drugs we give patients can limit a flare-up of the disease, but there is no drug that cures it at this point.”
Despite the neglect of this disease, it is one of the most common parasitic infections to impact humans, which is spurring scientists to raise the alarm.
