Experts gear up to fight neglected diseases

LONDON: Britain's top scientists have joined hands to create the world's largest international consortium that will work towards eradicating India's neglected diseases like kalazar, filariasis, blinding trachoma, sleeping sickness and leprosy, which affect millions every year.
The $10-million London Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research (LCNTDR) that was launched on Wednesday will be the first of its kind - a virtual, collaborative centre between the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Imperial College and the Natural History Museum - to bring together top experts to tackle neglected tropical diseases.
The Centre's deputy director said, Simon Brooker said, "The idea is to create the largest body of research and bring together almost every researcher working on neglected tropical diseases (NTD). They will work together and come up with mathematical and epidemiological models, conduct large scale field studies for better diagnosis and field mapping. Kalaazar in India will be one of the our main focus."