NIH Branch Announces Plan To Fight Malaria, HIV, and Tuberculosis.(Brief Article)

2001 MAY 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) --

The NIAID Global Health Research Plan for HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis provides short-, mid-, and long-term objectives for battling these diseases by building on the Institute's strong foundation in global infectious disease research.

"HIV, malaria, and TB combined kill more than five million people every year and greatly affect the health of the more than half billion people who live with one or more of these diseases," said Fauci. "By adding new international partnerships, expanding research programs, and providing international training opportunities, NIAID can help develop health strategies that are practical for use in endemic countries."

The plan addresses three diseases singled out by the Group of Eight nations in July 2000 in a pledge to reduce the devastating toll taken by these scourges worldwide, particularly in developing countries. The plan outlines NIAID's goals as it, too, focuses on this deadly trio.

In the 20 years since its first reported appearance, HIV has skyrocketed to become the world's second-leading cause of infectious disease deaths. Since the epidemic began, 57 million people have become infected with HIV and more than 21 million people have died. Malaria, a leading parasite killer of children in developing countries, affects up to 500 million people across the globe and kills one person every 10 to 15 seconds. Tuberculosis trails only lower respiratory infections and HIV/AIDS as an infectious cause of death. The TB bacterium currently infects one-third of the world's population, and eight million people develop disease symptoms each year.

The NIAID plan highlights four key research areas common to all three illnesses: vaccine and prevention studies, drug development, diagnostics, and enhancements to research capacity. Vaccine research remains a top priority of the plan. No vaccine has yet been developed for HIV or malaria, and although a vaccine exists for TB, it does not prevent the adult lung disease that ravages much of the world's population. ...