Tropical Medicine Infectious Diseases Resource List
It is often horrifying to encounter the aftermath of a tropical disease outbreak. Many times tropical diseases are pushed aside so that research and funding can be devoted to diseases more pertinent to the developed world. As you will see however, we cannot afford to underestimate the wrath of tropical and infectious diseases as they pose a severe threat to human populations.
We are here to provide you with resources that give tropical and infectious diseases the attention they deserve. Browse our collection and enrich your mind with knowledge about the diseases that are affecting far too many, but that can also be prevented with your help.
Hansen’s Disease Lyme Disease Malaria SARS Government Resources Professional Organizations
Hansen’s Disease
- ASNOM “ This website provides a historical account of Hansen’s disease, including the atrocious way that lepers were once (and still are, in some areas) treated while quarantined. The resource uses some interesting medical photographs to document the manifestation of the disease.
- Health Resources and Services Administration “ The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides this resource for the National Hansen’s Disease (Leprosy) Program. The source gives advice on how to prevent lower extremity amputations, statistics on the prevalence of the disease, and much more.
- ILEP “ This organization is a collaboration of fourteen autonomous non-governmental anti-leprosy organizations or organizations with a strong emphasis on leprosy all over the world. This resource has an expansive database of informational materials for field based health workers, program senior managers, and everyone in between. The resource also includes annual reports so that you can keep track of what people are doing to help prevent and treat leprosy in every country where it is dangerous.
- International Leprosy Association “ This resource is for those interested in keeping up to date on current world trends concerning leprosy. Find upcoming intellectual events or study articles about the latest research in the field.
- World Health Organization | Leprosy Today “ This resource gives information about the current state of Hansen’s disease in the world. Here you will find region-specific reports about Hansen’s disease and information about the Final Push global strategy for complete elimination.
Lyme Disease
- California Lyme Disease Association “ This resource strives to stop ticks’ ravage on the human population. It provides links to Lyme Times, a regular publication that includes Lyme disease-related reports conducted in and outside of the United States and information concerning diagnosis and treatment.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “ The CDC provides this resource for those who would like to find out more information about the bacterial causes of Lyme disease as well as statistics concerning the number of reported cases of Lyme disease in the United States. This resource is helpful to those who have different interests in the disease.
- Lyme Disease Association “ This resource can get you in touch with physicians who are knowledgeable about Lyme disease and other tick-borne ailments. The LDA’s mission is to provide Lyme disease education, prevention, research funding, and patient support.
- MedlinePlus “ This interactive tutorial provides all the information you’d like to know about Lyme disease and is especially helpful for aural learners. Hear about what you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones from Lyme disease.
- The Ohio State University Medical Center ‘“ This resource provides valuable information about the basics of Lyme disease, such as which types of ticks transport the disease, disease symptoms, and methods of prevention.
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases “ The NIAID has been involved with Lyme disease research for a long time. It aims to develop better means of diagnosing and treating the disease and eventually, preventing the disease altogether. The NIAID includes information about vaccines currently being tested and other recent news.
Malaria
- Harvard Malaria Initiative “ HMI at the Harvard School of Public Health uses sophisticated research to understand the means of resistance to malarial medications, create new and more effective drugs, and to train researchers and public health professionals to respond more effectively in areas of need. This resource includes links to malarial discussions and research that have taken place worldwide.
- John Hopkins Malaria Research Institute “ The JHMRI is a compilation of information from malaria researchers around the world working at the W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology. These knowledgeable researchers are working together to understand the parasite, genes, and proteins involved in transmission. This resource provides information about recent conferences and grants involving malaria.
- Malaria Foundation International “ This organization was established to develop the necessary tools to combat malaria. At the time MFI was created, founders saw that the prevalence of malaria was on the rise, a vaccine was many years away, and that resistance was coming more widespread, so wanted to devote unyielding time and effort to solve these problems.
- Malaria No More “ This resource provides an extensive review of malaria in hopes that its readers will be convinced that the best humanitarian effort we can make today is to end all the malaria-caused deaths in Africa. Visit here to find what’s currently being done and what people plan to achieve in the near future.
- Roll Back Malaria Partnership – RBM’s vision is in line with the Millennium Development Goal of 2015, which is to eliminate malaria as a major cause of mortality and barrier to social and economic development and growth anywhere in the world. RBM includes more than 500 partners working together so that duplication of efforts is avoided and work is carried out most effectively.
- UNICEF “ UNICEF is working with other widely recognized partners to halve the world’s malaria burden. This resource fills you in on precisely what people are doing to lessen the spread of malaria, such as distributing insecticide-treated bed nets and starting intermittent preventive treatment.
SARS
- Armed Forces Institute of Pathology “ This website is a resource for those looking for information about the imaging and pathology of SARS. The source provides helpful visuals and information on the index cases.
- CIDRAP “ This resource provides a timeline of the latest news concerning SARS. Visit this site to read about the US launching a major campaign to protect against SARS, the SARS vaccine that protected monkeys, and more.
- The New England Journal of Medicine “ This resource provides links to scholarly articles, which are provided for free. Browse the abstracts or study the full texts. Either way you’ll have a much better understanding of the onset of disease.
- NPR “ The National Public Radio provides online recordings of world SARS-related news. This resource provides a very thorough documentation of SARS history from the beginning of the outbreak.
- SARS: An Open Scar “ This website was developed by an international team of students and informs readers about everything from basic facts to the current world impact of SARS.
- World Health Organization “ This website provides situation updates concerning SARS and provides the cumulative number of reported cases. The WHO is also an authoritative site to look for travel recommendations to prevent disease.
Government Resources
- CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report “ The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides credible information on the current situation of numerous diseases in the United States and beyond. Track outbreaks and read up on the latest research concerning infectious diseases.
- CDC Travelers’ Health“ If you are a traveling health worker or just want to make sure you’re safe from disease while on vacation, this is your resource to find health information on your particular destination. Here you will find which vaccinations you need, recommended foods to eat, and other safety measures you can take to protect your health.
- National Institutes of Health “ The NIH is your resource for medical research. You will be sure to find the answers to all your health-related inquiries on this website, and you will see what physicians, public health professionals, nurses and more are doing to improve the world’s health.
- United States Department of Health and Human Services “ This is your resource to find out how the United States government in particular is attacking health concerns within the world. Here you will be able to read about specific US goals, such as carrying out the President’s National HIV/AIDS Strategy.
- United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps“ Here you will be able to learn about what the Commissioned Corps, a large population of trained individuals, who are doing everything they can to fight disease and poverty. If you would like to join in the battle, visit this resource to learn more.
- WHO Disease Outbreak News “ Follow the most recent news concerning disease outbreaks around the world. This resource is particularly useful if you want to know what diseases are affecting your geographic area of concern.
Professional Organizations
- The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene “ ASTMH has been around for more than a century. It is an organization made up of scientists, clinicians, and professionals who share the same mission of preventing and controlling infectious and other diseases. Some of ASTMH’s goals include advancing the research of tropical diseases and fostering an international collaboration in the health field.
- International Society for Infectious Diseases “ The ISID’s main goal is to increase the knowledge of professionals specializing in infectious diseases by expanding research. By fostering an international scientific exchange of information and cooperation, ISID eventually hopes to arrive at long-term solutions.
- Pan American Health Organization “ This resource provided by the regional office of the World Health Organization, which overseas Pan American countries (Latin America and the Caribbean). The high prevalence of natural disasters in this region has affected more than 160 million people in the last thirty years, and has allowed infectious disease to spread more rapidly. This resource will give you a sense of what public health measures are being taken to prevent this spread.
- Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene “ This society hopes to promote education and subsequently, prevent the spread of diseases in human and animals in tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world. Also find upcoming worldwide health symposiums by browsing this resource.
- Tropical Medicine and International Health Journal “ Subscribe to this journal to get a regular extensive update on research and events concerning international health. Familiarize yourself with the wide range of diseases that is plaguing the world’s citizens.